Discovering Kin
by OzNCISLover
Summary: As the Gibbs family settle into life in Naples a discovery is made that completely changes not only Tony's world but Shannon's too, but how on earth is Mac involved? Gibbses, Tiva, Telly & maybe some other romances too! This is the sequel to More than he dreamed of, you need to read that first. I don't own NCIS, CBS does.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright folks, I know I've been promising this for a while, so here we go! My sequel to More Than He Dreamed Of. You need to read that first, otherwise this wont make any sense.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, CBS does, I'm only playing with them! I do however take ownership of my red haired Phoenix! Please remember I'm from Australia, as such you may find some differences in spelling &amp; grammar. I use no beta, I do try minimise errors, but if there are any, they are my own.**

**Just a few notes, this story starts in early December, so based on the family &amp; team moving mid September, given they moved right after Nix started his season in September, they've been in Naples roughly 2.5 months.**

**Also as they had just moved, I wouldn't see Kelly being able to work straight away in local courts, as they'd probably all be done in Italian &amp; she'd need time to learn the language, as well as qualify for the local bar authority. She'd more than likely work on matters that get resolved out of court, but if she did go to court, it will be a JAG court, I remember from JAG (the show) that civilians can represent those in the military.**

**Now, as I had Vance propose a slight change to the way things would work for NCIS EUFO in Naples, I have taken some creative licence with Gibbs's title &amp; some others (which you'll learn in due course). This in no way means I know what the titles should be, only what I've chosen. Also, while I have tried to do some research about what occurs at NSA Naples for both the living &amp; work related areas, I am by no means an expert, so again, it's only my creative interpretation of what I'd like to happen, this is fiction after all.**

**Some common initials that I'll be using include ones most might know, but I wanted to put them up. NSA Naples (Naval Support Activity, Naples - the base where NCIS EUFO is located &amp; home of the US Navy Sixth Fleet) NCIS EUFO (NCIS European &amp; African Field Office), SFA (Senior Field Agent) SSA (Supervisory Special Agent) TAD (Temporary Assignment Duty) JAG (Office of the Judge Advocate General). If more come up, I will of course explain them.**

**Also for a reminder, here's the list of the Gibbs Family Rules that have been unearthed thus far, more will certainly be revealed in due course:**

**F1: Mum or dad have the power to evoke veto over any situation without opposition, if its an emergency situation**

**F2: We always trust in this family.**

**F3: If something happens to mum or dad, we stay with them until they are ok &amp; only leave if they say so.**

**F4: There is no such things as too much information, we talk things through no matter what**

**F5: If family makes a mess, family has to clean it up**

**F6: if someone makes a choice that affects someone else, the affected person can make another choice that affects the initial choice maker &amp; no protests can be made**

**F7: We don't run when we get upset about something we talk about it, no matter how we feel.**

**F8: No one can blame themselves for anything that happened in the past, because it wasn't our fault**

**F9: We only say sorry for things within our own control**

**F10: In this family we always hug**

**F11: If dad gets himself blown up he's grounded**

**F12: Seatbelt's on before engine**

**F13: We don't hit or bunch in this family.**

**F14: Always keep your phone on you &amp; switched on.**

**F15: We don't fight over remotes, we take it turns**

**F17: Always knock before entering any room**

**F20: Food is to be eaten not played with**

**F22: No backseat driving allowed**

**F29: You can only use a piece of wood for woodwork or carvings if it's not serving another purpose already.**

**F31: If sleeping in the magical bed all parties have to be awake before anyone gets out of bed**

**F35: You can't drive past a Ben &amp; Jerry's store without stopping to get some**

**Unspoken: Don't put yourself into a dangerous situation**

**Unspoken: we speak respectfully &amp; don't use foul language**

**Now, let's get going shall we?**

* * *

Tony sat at his desk staring out the window, there was something calming about looking out at the city of Naples, while it was a crazy city watching it from his viewpoint it was calming for him. But really, lately, staying calm wasn't really a challenge, life was good!

He couldn't imagine anything happening to dent that feeling, life was just good &amp; getting better by the day! If only he'd remembered the notion 'life is a rollercoaster' it may have prepared him for what was to come..

* * *

Gibbs was running, pushing himself forward harder &amp; faster, he had to get to the target. He knew his muscles were aching, but he didn't slow, instead he peered left &amp; then right, both his kids were on his flanks, running just like he was, with all their might "come on!" he called, as he pushed himself onwards.

Nix was running right on par with his dad, stroke for stroke, Kelly was a mere step behind the pair, using every muscle in her body to propel herself forward faster.

The trio rounded the corner &amp; set off right down in the middle of the street, all three pushed themselves forward.

Gibbs saw the target, he pushed himself forward, he saw his son was right on his left side, he then realised that his girl was on his other side, all three were running right along side each other, pushing each other to go faster.

The trio each gave one last burst of energy &amp; finally collapsed in a heap on the grass, all three tried to catch their breaths.

"Well, well, well... and who won this morning?" Shannon asked looking down at the rest of her family, they were all strewn across their front yard.

"Me" all three replied.

"oh I bet you all think you won" Shannon smirked "I'm afraid though that this time my wonderful girl won"

Kelly grinned as she sat up "sounds about right" she was still breathing pretty deeply.

"She's gotta win sometimes" Nix retorted himself sitting up, trying catch his breath.

Shannon smirked, but her husband had yet to sit up "Jethro? Are you alive?"

Gibbs opened one eye &amp; looked at his gorgeous wife who was standing in front of him "not yet"

"Well, when you are ready, breakfast is waiting" Shannon smirked.

Gibbs nodded "uh huh"

"I'd hate for the omelettes to get cold, like you three will get if you don't come inside" Shannon remarked as she headed back inside.

That caught Gibbs's attention, he sat up taking a few deep breaths, while these morning runs with his kids were great, his muscles tended to ache a lot! &amp; every morning it took a while to get himself together afterwards. While they were both fast &amp; could hold pace for a fair while, he kept extending the length they'd run &amp; that's where he gained the upper hand, long distance was his forte more than sprints, the marines saw to that. It was long distance stamina he was trying to bring to their arsenal of tricks so he always set the pace to less than full on sprinting, until they rounded the last corner that is, that's when all three went as fast as possible to 'win'.

"Are any of you coming?" Shannon called.

"Yes mum" "Yes Shan" came the reply, as they all rose.

"Is it me or was that run a good mile longer than last week?" Kelly asked her brother.

"Not just you" Nix agreed as they headed inside.

Gibbs smiled "you both agreed that I would be the one to set the route &amp; pace"

Kelly &amp; Nix shared a look, they did that because they thought their dad would be the slowest &amp; more to the point would want to run a shorter distance.

"Maybe.."Nix started.

"Nope, that deal doesn't change" Gibbs smirked, knowing his son was about to retract their agreement.

Nix &amp; Kelly both sighed as they sat down.

Shannon couldn't help but smile "Maybe this will finally make you two give more thought to the deals you make" she finished, placing down the omelettes on the table.

Gibbs nodded in agreement, he grabbed the coffee &amp; took a seat.

Shannon looked between her kids &amp; then her husband, while it took him longer initially to regroup, they could get going faster earlier, but then go down again. There was something she drew the line at though "Our heads do not need to be held up with our hands" both of her kids were eating while resting their heads in their hands.

Kelly sat up "maybe next time we could start the run after at least 06:00 &amp; not at 05:00, I didn't exactly get home early last night" she finished.

"I've got an early meeting today &amp; you've got a court session, didn't want us to miss the run" Gibbs replied "Phoenix, mum asked you to raise your head"

"I don't have training this morning, getting up at that hour to do that run was just cruel! And Kells court session got postponed" Nix replied, lifting his head.

Gibbs was surprised "since when?"

"Yesterday" Kelly yawned "I did message everyone on the WhatsApp group".

"She did Jethro, you must have missed that one" Shannon agreed, but she'd rarely seen the pair so tired, her husband was too busy swallowing his coffee "what route did you go?"

Gibbs was sure he read all the messages, he'd have to recheck it, he knew though what his wife was getting at, they both looked exhausted, he wasn't exactly chipper, but that's what coffee was for "the hill" he answered.

Shannon eyed him "that's just mean! might I suggest you all drink those coffees &amp; maybe have another one"

"After breakfast I think I'll go back to bed" Nix yawned.

"and what about your assignments?" Gibbs asked "you were going to work on them before having to go into the club for your session later today"

Nix dropped his head back &amp; let out a sigh.

Shannon smiled "dad's right, by the way, did you hear from the college about how their going to mark your major practical project"

Nix lifted his head at this question "let me check" he reached to grab the laptop.

"Why'd court get postponed Kells?" Gibbs asked, breakfast was the daily meal they had any hope of talking, being one of them was constantly working late, or training, or something.

"Other side petitioned for more time, judge gave them another week" Kelly answered "I tell you JAG judges are so lenient when it comes to extra time"

"This is the custody case, yes?" Shannon asked.

"No, that one got resolved last night, hence my lateness, parents want to work it out themselves. This one is a theft" Kelly answered

"He guilty?" Gibbs asked.

Kelly sighed "he says he's innocent, besides dad, we've been over this.." it was the one thing they didn't agree on, every person required and was entitled to a defence, it was the way the system worked, even if her dad didn't agree.

"Ahh Dad?" Nix asked, interrupting the 'discussion' that was about to start.

Gibbs turned to his son "yea?"

"you know a Colonel Burrows?" Nix asked, looking at his computer.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow "I do, she's in charge of all building &amp; maintenance for NSA Naples &amp; the sixth fleet"

Nix's eyes widened, oh boy!

"Why are you interested in Colonel Burrows?" Shannon asked.

"Well... apparently she's the one that's going to be marking my major project. She's a alma mater of my college &amp; good friends with Dean Johnston"

Gibbs looked at his son in surprise "well then, you better make sure you put the effort in, I doubt she'll accept much less"

Kelly smirked, her brother was so screwed! "I'm going for a shower, can I grab a lift dad?"

"No need Kells, I'm spending the morning with Breena, she needs to go buy a few things &amp; wants some help and advice. Then I've got to do a few things around the place here" Shannon remarked.

"Don't need a car, Tim's due back this morning, he's going to pick me up after work &amp; we're grabbing dinner" Kelly replied, she was glad he was getting back today.

"Dinner?" Gibbs asked, the family had plans.

"Don't worry dad, I'll be home in time for movie night" Kelly smiled "so, can I grab a lift?'

Gibbs swallowed his last piece of breakfast &amp; rose "yup, but I'm leaving in 20"

"I can live with that" Kelly said heading out of the room.

Shannon looked at her son, he certainly looked like he could use more sleep "Nix darling, why don't we start by looking at that essay? Let me see what you've done so far"

Nix smiled, he really liked having his mum there to help him, he moved to the seat next to her &amp; they started to look through it while finishing their breakfast.

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it, the first chapter, I hope you liked it! Gibbs certainly likes to push his kids! **

**These first few chapters will all be about showing that the family &amp; team are settled &amp; enjoying life, as well as introducing some new characters, but I promise we will then get into it &amp; while they're settling in there will of course be fun to had &amp; surprises a plenty.**

**But how's Tony doing in the office? and what unexpected news will he receive?**

**I always love hearing your thoughts &amp; comments, so reviews are welcomed &amp; appreciated! More up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: To everyone that's already followed &amp; favourited this, thank you so much! To my reviewers, you rock! I love knowing &amp; hearing how much you all love my Gibbs-family-verse!**

**Now, let's check in with Tony shall we? **

* * *

Tony gave a quick look around, it was strange, but he kinda missed the orange, the office was a fairly nice shade of light blue, but he hadn't gotten used to it yet. He wondered though if Vance had a hand in designing this office layout, because like DC, the squad room &amp; conference rooms was on one floor, with MTAC and the offices of both Tristan &amp; Gibbs on the level about. The interrogation rooms were on the level below, it definitely helped them adjust to their new work environment, especially with their bullpen area at the foot of the stairs.

He turned back to the pile of paperwork on his desk, he'd forgotten that being a Supervisory Special Agent came with this much paperwork, it was one of the reasons he was in the office so early.

He had to admit that adjusting to life in Naples was pretty easy, but then again, the team or family as he now considered them, was all around him, they helped each other settle in. Helping each other through the initial phase of requirements &amp; introduction sessions that were mandatory, it was daunting at first, he'd never really 'deployed' before, so all the forms, visas, ID's, information sessions, it was so vastly different to when he was an Agent Afloat. they'd even all had to take driving tests, that was a fun experience!

As Tony worked away he glanced to the desk across from his, Ziva's, it was empty, she was currently undertaking a TAD on the USS Seahawk, their Agent Afloat had to suddenly get back to the US for a personal matter, so she'd gone to take their place over three weeks ago &amp; would be aboard until the vessel made port in Naples, that's when the new Agent Afloat would take over, in just 2 days. He couldn't help but miss her, things had been going great &amp; they were managing the work/relationship balance fine.

Tony then considered how the 'team' had changed, with Gibbs overseeing all teams he was now leading one of the Naples MCRT Teams, with both Ziva &amp; McGee his Senior Agents. Both of them though were currently on TAD to help other offices, Ziva was on the Seahawk &amp; McGee was due to arrive back from Frankfurt in an hour or so where he'd had to help with IT intel issues. He'd been assigned a Junior Agent too, one Sharaz Silva, a former navy Lieutenant &amp; NCIS agent of 3 years, standing at 5"7 with blonde hair &amp; hazel eyes and emanating from Spain originally, she had been previously posted at the Marseille office before being transferred to Naples under him. While they'd hadn't had a whole lot of time all together, she seemed to be fitting in quite well, well, except for one thing. Lifting his head he saw her walk in &amp; here it came..

"Morning sir" Silva said coming into the squad area.

Tony sighed "Silva, how many times do I have to tell you, don't sir me! It's Boss or Tony" sir was his dad, not him! and he didn't really want his junior agent calling him DiNozzo.

Silva smirked "can't call you boss, Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, is boss &amp; I'm not calling you Tony, sir" she couldn't call him Tony, that wasn't showing enough respect.

Tony just glared at her.

"I'll get onto my report" Silva suggested.

"Good idea, I want that threat assessment by the end of the day" Tony said.

"Yes sir" Silva agreed.

Tony just shook his head.

"SSA's!" Gibbs called walking through the squad room.

Tony, along with the half dozen other SSA's currently in country all called "coming boss"

All the SSA's followed their boss down the hall to the conference room. It was time for that lovely weekly debriefing meeting.. yay?

Gibbs sat down, was this all his job was now, meeting after meeting? He needed action!

Tony sat down next to Gibbs, he saw him give a slight wince as he sat, he smiled "who won this morning boss?"

Gibbs just eyed him "you wanna join us tomorrow?"

"You run on Saturday's?" Tony asked surprised.

"Nope, but you keep going &amp; we will" Gibbs replied.

Tony smiled "I'm good"

Gibbs nodded "Donnelly, your on the minutes"

Donnelly nodded "yes boss" she took the obligatory notebook, where'd they taken all their notes.

Gibbs huffed "Where's Duncan?"

"Here boss... sorry...I.. ah... never mind" Duncan replied, having just remembered his new boss's rule against apologies.

"Donnelly, pass Duncan the notebook. He'd doing the minutes" Gibbs ordered.

Donnelly smiled as she passed it "With pleasure boss"

Duncan nodded, late arrival, always meant being the minute taker.

Gibbs listened as each of his SSA's went through the cases/duties their teams were currently working on, he only interjected comments where necessary, preferring to let them talk things through with each other. Once that was over, it was his turn.

Gibbs let them chat for a minute or two about who knew what before he drew it back to focus "ok!"

All SSA's went silent.

"Duncan, your tray is pretty empty &amp; you're at full complement, I've got a good one for you" Gibbs remarked.

Duncan, was as experienced as Tony but had been in Europe for 5 years now, in Naples for 2 of them, getting used to Gibbs had been a major adjustment, especially after all the stories he'd heard "a good one boss?"

Gibbs smirked "Yeap, the Director has asked for a team to head over to South Africa, there have been a few too many incidents involving the marine core with locals, from theft to assault &amp; there's just been a homocide. It will be a joint investigation with the local team &amp; South African Authorities. You &amp; your team leave on the first available flight"

"Yes boss, but we're still tying up some loose ends..." Duncan began to say, it had been a while since he'd sunk his teeth into something like that, bring it on!

"Pass it to DiNozzo" Gibbs interjected.

"Yes Boss" Duncan &amp; Tony both said at once.

Gibbs handed out new assignments before speaking again "I want you all to remember that the Seahawk is due in on Sunday, so..."

"We shouldn't make plans for any early nights next week?" Donnelly suggested.

Gibbs smirked, he actually like Donnelly, former marine &amp; NCIS of some time, he'd even crossed paths with her when she was a probie "yeap, I have no doubt, some of them will get into trouble"

Gibbs was about to move on when a knock came a door.

Deputy Assistant Director Tristan came in "am I right on time?" she asked Gibbs

Gibbs nodded "right on time"

Tristan smiled as she sat down at the other end of the table to where Gibbs was "I trust you've all been briefed on your coming assignments?"

"Yes ma'am" came the chorus of SSA's.

"and you all know by now, that those must be juggled with anything that comes up requiring immediate investigation" Tristan remarked.

"Yes ma'am" came the chorus of SSA's again.

Gibbs hid his smile, this lady wasn't one to be pushed around or messed with, Tony had learnt that, they'd all learnt that. It was kinda funny, she wasn't an imposing looking woman, at 5"3 with cherry blonde hair, she looked a lot younger than she was, but as a former navy officer she was as tough as they came &amp; he respected the hell out of her.

"Good, well to help the load &amp; the constant TAD's that yourselves &amp; your SFA's have, we're getting 2 probationary agents to add to the Naples team. I'm assigning them to Wu &amp; DiNozzo" Tristan said looking at the pair.

Wu, of Asian origins had only come to Naples shortly before Tony &amp; the others, but had been with NCIS a good 8 years, &amp; had spent most of his time in the Asia-Pacitic Region, before NCIS he'd been in the police force. He himself had 1 SFA &amp; a junior agent. "A probie ma'am?" he asked, the last thing he wanted was a probie right now.

Tony couldn't help but share Wu's feelings, wait, he was to have 4 agents under him? Geeezz!

"Yes Agent Wu, since you've been here, 2 weeks have barely gone by where you or Jonus haven't had a short TAD, you need the man power. The same goes for you Agent DiNozzo, you currently have both your SFA's away, you need an extra man" Tristan answered.

Tony nodded, knowing that was true, he wanted to say McGee was due back like.. now &amp; Ziva would be home in 2 days.

"Agent DiNozzo, your man is arriving today, Wu, your woman is arriving first thing tomorrow" Tristan stated, as she passed them both files on their new agents.

Tony opened the folder &amp; looked at the image &amp; details, his eyes widened "boss?" he said a little shocked.

Gibbs smirked, he knew why Tony was shocked "Guess the kid wanted to do more than just the full internship"

Tony looked back at the documents, there it was in black &amp; white. New NCIS Probationary Agent Conrad Zuse. It was the kid who did the internship on the case that started with a gas leak at Quantico &amp; ended with the granddaughter of a former spy needing rescuing &amp; the grandfather getting in the way. The kid though was the least interested out of the 3 interns they had, until the very end that is. He knew that Gibbs had arranged a full internship for him, but he was shocked that he'd decided to take the path of NCIS over private sector. The kid after all said 'you could make a killing in the private sector'.

Tristan smiled "The director did tell me how you know the young man &amp; Gibbs filled me in on the rest. I suppose this will be an opportunity for you to expand his horizons even more"

Tony nodded.

"Good, well that's all I wanted to say, so unless any of you have questions that Gibbs can't answer?" Tristan asked.

"No ma'am" came the reply from the group.

"Good, Duncan, good luck in South Africa, and the rest of you, good luck with the arrival of the Seahawk. I've also just been told that a marine unit from Frankfurt will be here next week for a joint exercise, so I'm sure that will keep everyone busy" Tristan smirked, she knew a ship coming in &amp; an extra unit being in the area always meant increased incidents.

Gibbs gave an internal sigh.. great!

* * *

**A/N: So, some new additions to the team &amp; a brand new ass-kicking title for Gibbs! Not to mention promotions for the others too. For those wondering about Zuse, he was the character in Season 8, Ep 2 - Worst Nightmare, he was a kid I could see getting why they choose the field &amp; would change his direction too. **

**Sounds like lots could be happening with the Sea Hawk &amp; marine unit coming in, but at least Ziva will be back, right? I have to wonder though, Tony's got to get Zuse collected, but who else will they find when they do?**

**I know this chapter was short, but the next one is almost ready to load, so it will be up soon! I always love to hear your thoughts/comments, so review away!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Glad you all enjoyed that chapter! To the newest followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard this new ride! I hope it's as exciting as the original. To my reviewers, you rock! **

**To answer my guest Reviewers:**

**Guest: Yes, there will certainly be Tim &amp; Kelly in this fic, they are key couple &amp; I like them together too!**

**Sharon: I'm so glad you're enjoying this story, and yea, it's gotta continue. As for Tim &amp; Kelly, their relationship will definitely be progressing in this fic.**

**Now, let's get back to it...**

* * *

Tony came back into the squad room, making his way to his bullpen area when he saw someone "McGoo!" he called.

Tim smiled dumping his bags, he saw Tony, it was nice to see him "Tony, how was the meeting?" he knew Tony couldn't stand those meetings.

"How was the flight?" Tony retorted.

The pair smiled.

"McGee!" Gibbs called coming into their bullpen area.

Tim smiled "Morning Boss"

Gibbs smiled back "you finished in Frankfurt?"

"yes boss, all done, shouldn't have to go back" Tim reported.

"Good" Gibbs replied, he turned to Tony "Send McGee to pick him up, he'll need to take him to the Lodge &amp; get everything set for him"

Tony grinned "Sure boss"

"Pick who up?" TIm asked curiously.

"Our new probie... Conrad Zuse" Tony grinned.

Tim's eyes widened "Conrad Zuse? Wait, new probie?"

Even Silva's ears peaked up at this, she had though gotten used to the 3 men talking in few word sentences.

Gibbs smirked "yeap, you can show him the ropes... but McGee, remember something"

Tim looked at Gibbs confused, he was thrown for six that they were getting a probie &amp; that Conrad was the probie "boss?"

"Don't be late tonight! I believe you're a certain person's meal ticket &amp; ride home" Gibbs stated looking him squarely in the eye.

Tim smiled, his dinner with Kelly "I wont be late boss"

"Good" Gibbs replied, taking off for the lift.

"Since when are we getting a probie &amp; it's Conrad Zuse, really?" Tim asked Tony.

"We're getting a probie sir? Why?" Silva asked.

"We are, because of the amount of TAD's we've been doing we're getting another resource to help with the local investigations. I found out about 10 minutes ago &amp; yes McGee, him. Guess he liked that internship" Tony explained.

Silva looked between the pair not quite understanding the last part of the conversation.

"Zuse did a week long internship with our team back in DC a few years ago. He wasn't really interested to start, but by the end of the week he understood why we do what we do. We organised a full internship for him, guess he went further than that" Tim explained.

"Ahh, get it" Silva said.

* * *

Tim headed into the arrivals to pick up Zuse, he was mid thought when a voice caught him.

"Timothy!" Shannon called smiling, "I thought you got back earlier today?" she wasn't really expecting him here at the moment.

"Hi Mrs Gibbs" Tim greeted "I did, but I'm here picking up a new agent, our team's new probie, gotta pick him up &amp; help him get settled, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, I'm... picking someone up" Shannon finally admitted "I will have to ask you to keep that mouth shut about this though"

Tim was curious "Ok, but who?"

Shannon was about to reply, when she saw him "that gentleman right there"

Tim turned &amp; grinned, it was Jack! and he was walking with Zuse!

"Jack!" Shannon smiled, she went into an instant hug with him.

"My dear!" Jack smiled taking holding of her, gosh he missed her, them!

"Conrad" Tim greeted.

"Agent McGee" Zuse greeted.

"Tim, you know my young friend here?" Jack asked

Tim smiled "I do, he's going to be the probie on our team Jack &amp; it's good to see you"

"I see" Jack smirked, this kid was going to get fed to them? Good luck he thought! He took Tim into a hug "That it is Tim, that it is"

Tim smiled as he came out of the hug "Didn't know you were coming?"

Shannon grinned "no one knows Tim, hence my request"

Tim grinned, this surprise was going to be good! no great! But there was an introduction to do "Conrad Zuse, this is Mrs Gibbs, Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs's wife. Mrs Gibbs, Conrad Zuse, our new Probationary Agent"

"Pleased to meet you ma'am" Zuse greeted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Conrad" Shannon greeted "I'm going to have to ask you to not mention your travel partner today though, this a surprise for my whole family &amp; I'd rather not spoil it"

"Of course ma'am, my lips are sealed" Zuse agreed.

"Good, well I know you've got a lot to do, but you're in good hands with Tim here. So we'll leave you to it" Shannon said.

"Thank you ma'am" Zuse said.

Shannon nodded &amp; turned to Tim "If I could ask that you not get home from dinner before 20:00?" she was planning for it.

Tim smiled "no problem, do you need Phoenix occupied? Gibbs?"

Shannon smiled "Phoenix isn't due home until then from the club &amp; I've asked Tristan to keep Jethro long enough so he doesn't get home before then either"

Tim nodded "Ok"

"It isn't a long drive Jack" Shannon said as they got settled into one of the 2 cars their family had. a silver Lexus IS.

Jack nodded, he knew they lived on base "Can't wait to see the place"

Shannon smiled "How was the flight?"

"Fine, that young man kept me entertained, he's got a good head on that shoulder of his, try not let him get too corrupted" Jack chuckled.

"Between Tony, Tim, Ziva &amp; Silva I'm not sure he'll be innocent for very long" Shannon admitted "but I'll keep an eye on him"

Jack nodded "how's the 2 car thing going?" he knew they were trying it out.

"It's working so far. Nix obviously needs one to get to &amp; from the club. and with Jethro &amp; Kells working so close it's working." Shannon admitted "Most days Jethro actually has access to a work car anyway, so it's like we've got three, this morning Kells got a lift with him &amp; Tim will pick her up. I think having more cars isn't really necessary, yet"

Jack nodded in understanding, neither her nor his son had become types to spend money on anything just because they had it.

"Here we go" Shannon remarked, as she turned into the street, she pulled to the side "this is the apartment building where Tony &amp; Tim live, the garden one there is Tony's &amp; the one 2 stories up is Tim's."

Jack nodded "Looks new"

"It is, was only built last year" Shannon remarked, she edged forward 2 buildings "the apartment block across the road, that's where Ziva lives, as well Jimmy &amp; Breena. Ziva's on the top floor, while Jimmy &amp; Breena have the garden apartment"

"Was this area all newly built?" Jack asked, this building looked new too.

"Yes, this street is new, they needed more housing, our place was only finished at the beginning of the year" Shannon answered.

Jack survey the rest of the street as Shannon drove down, she finally came to the cal-de-sac, this was where he saw 3 houses, all were 2 storey with double garages "the middle one yes?"

Shannon smiled "Yes that's our place. The one on the left is home to Colonel Ian Marks, one of the commanders for the sixth fleet. The one of the right, Dr Harmon Brine, the head doctor at the Naples base hospital" she was ever so proud of her husband for stepping up into his new role &amp; had to admit she liked the perks it came with, one of which was being able to choose to live in a house &amp; not a unit, on base.

Jack surveyed the house as Shannon parked in the driveway, it was a simple brick home, but looked quite large.

"Let's get inside &amp; I'll show you around" Shannon smiled.

Jack came inside &amp; smiled it wasn't a long hallway, but there was nice framed picture at the end of hall of all of them, it was from Nix's game where he'd been scouted.

Shannon came to the first door on the left "This is your room Jack"

Jack followed her inside, it was standard size room, bed, bedside, cupboard &amp; an en-suite, it would do fine for him "Looks more than fine for me."

As he entered the living area he looked around, along the wall of where his room was there was a nice big dining area that lead into the lounge area, which had a nice big TV and entertainment unit, his eyes then moved to the kitchen, it wasn't overly fancy, but was quite large &amp; had all possible appliances. He saw that both the lounge area &amp; kitchen overlooked their backyard, it wasn't small either &amp; he saw an outdoor dining set, a BBQ and of course a soccer net. The thing that struck him the most though was the pictures that were up everywhere, there were family photo's everywhere &amp; that just warmed his heart.

Jack turned to Shannon "just beautiful my dear"

"It might be a simple house, but we've tried to make it our home" Shannon replied as she looked around, they'd really tried to make this place a home, their home.

"It's most definitely a home, now upstairs is all your bedrooms &amp; another small lounge area?" Jack asked, he didn't want to pry into their bedrooms.

"Yes and there's also 2 more bathrooms. Jethro &amp; I have an en-suite &amp; the kids share a bathroom." Shannon replied, "but I think it's this room that will peak your interest Jack".

Jack followed Shannon back down the hall, she opened the door diagonally opposite the door to his bedroom &amp; smiled "ahh, now this is a room"

"Yes well, not exactly a room, but close enough. We wanted an area big enough for the woodwork &amp; Phoenix's projects. We couldn't really find a place that had the kind of room Jethro wanted, so we converted the garage into the workshop. The cars rarely come in" Shannon explained.

Jack nodded "All looks wonderful, but if I may, I think I'll have a rest, long flight &amp; I'd like to be awake when they get home"

"Of course Jack, would you like something to eat first?" Shannon asked.

"Don't mind if I do" Jack smiled as they headed back into the living area.

* * *

**A/N: YAY Jack has arrived! and he gave us a look at where they live &amp; the Gibbs home but now... it's surprise time! How will the family take it? and what will Kelly make of Tim knowing &amp; not saying anything? **

**But first, I think there's the small matter of dinner for a certain couple?**

**More up really soon and remember I love getting feedback &amp; hearing your comments, so review away!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so glad you're all enjoying the sequel so much already! To my latest followers &amp; favourites, welcome to the new ride! To my reviewers, you're awesome! I love hearing how much you're loving this!**

**To guest reviewer Sharon: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you're loving this story! When I hear someone say how much they love this, it just makes me feel so chuffed! Gibbs might trust Tim with Kelly, but he's still Gibbs, so there will always be the overprotective &amp; unwilling to share of his little girl nature he holds close. But they do make a great couple!**

**Now, think it's time for Tim to meet Kelly for dinner..**

* * *

"Signor McGee" Marissa greeted.

Tim smiled at the receptionist "Hi Marissa, is Kelly in?"

"Si, she said for you to go straight in when you get here" Marissa replied.

"Thanks, your English is greatly improving" Tim said as he headed for Kelly's office.

Tim gently opened the door to her office "knock, knock" he smiled.

Kelly looked up from her desk &amp; smiled "well hello there stranger"

It took Tim all but 3 seconds to cross the empty space between the pair "hello"

"I have a much better way to say hello" Kelly replied as she stood on the edge of her desk in his embrace, she leant in for a kiss.

Tim returned the kiss, gosh he'd missed her, finally coming out of it "you're right, that's a much better hello"

"What kept you? I was expecting you an hour ago" Kelly asked as she closed off her laptop.

"Zuse" Tim replied.

Kelly looked back to him "Excuse me? A Greek god kept you?"

Tim laughed "Not a Greek god, our new probie agent arrived today, his name's Conrad Zuse. I had to get him settled at the navy lodge &amp; get him going with all the welcoming stuff we went through"

"Probie agent? Since when?" Kelly asked.

"Only found out today" Tim answered "ready?"

"Most definitely, let the weekend begin" Kelly said, she went to place her laptop bag over her shoulder but was stopped.

"I've got it" Tim said taking the bag off her &amp; putting it on his shoulder before she could argue.

Kelly just smiled &amp; headed out "I'm off Marissa, have a good weekend &amp; go home!"

"Si Signorina Gibbs" Marissa replied.

Kelly just eyed her.

"Si Kelly, I am going home in a few minutes" Marissa corrected.

Kelly smiled "good &amp; I don't want to see any work emails over the weekend, we're not overloaded right now, so no working!"

"No Kelly" Marissa replied a little blushed.

"Still working weekends huh?" Tim asked as they headed towards the car.

"Look, don't get me wrong, sometimes you have to put in the crazy hours, and work all weekend, but right now we aren't that busy that it's required. She doesn't realise that &amp; doesn't think she can do the work in the normal hours, she's…. she too determined to get everything perfect the first time. She hasn't learnt yet that when things slow down, you need to take the time to have a break so that when things get crazy you've got the strength to push through the long hours &amp; days" Kelly answered, Marissa was great legal secretary but she tried to push herself too hard &amp; she didn't want her to burn out too early.

"She's young Kells, she'll get there" Tim offered.

Kelly eyed him "Young?" she asked "She's 21 &amp; doing law school, she…"

"She's not a genius who graduated at 15 &amp; had almost 2 degrees by that age" Tim smirked interrupting her.

Kelly smirked "I wasn't actually going to go that direction, but now that you mention it"

"Ok" Tim acknowledged "where shall we go for dinner?"

"The Port" Kelly suggested "We wanted try that fish &amp; chip place, remember?"

Tim nodded "Port it is"

As they strolled along marina towards the shop, they walked arm in arm, just enjoying the scenery &amp; being together.

Kelly knew that working for NCIS over here meant all of them &amp; not just Tim being pulled to other places for periods, heck Ziva was currently on the Sea Hawk, Tony had gone to Spain, Holland &amp; Frankfurt too already, her dad had even gone to Frankfurt &amp; London. And as far as Jimmy was concerned, that guy seemed to be going somewhere every week or two. But it didn't mean she liked it, she much preferred when they were all here in Naples, though all of them being here was proving somewhat elusive. It just made her cherish those times even more, right now though she loved having Tim back, she'd missed him, she pulled the arm that was wrapped around her &amp; gave him a kiss on the hand.

Tim was loving being back in Naples, there was a point a few days ago where it looked like he might have had to stay longer over the weekend &amp; into next week, that would have sucked! But he worked long through the nights to get what he had to finish done, so it wouldn't have to happen. It was still blowing his mind that he &amp; Kelly were working so well, but they were really good together, they got each other, they took the mickey out of each other for sure &amp; there was nothing he wouldn't do for her, nothing! He gave her a peck on the head as she kissed his hand, it was almost at the exact same moment, they knew each other that well.

Tim loved how committed she was to her brother, to her family, it was actually helping him build a better relationship with his own sister &amp; parents. Then a conversation that he'd had in Frankfurt came to mind &amp; let out a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Kelly asked.

Tim smiled "one of the IT guys &amp; I were talking one night about some things, he saw a picture of us on my phone"

"and?" Kelly prodded.

Tim looked at her "he asked if I was really going out the boss's daughter, Gibbs's daughter" news about Gibbs &amp; his 'new' family was slowly making its way across the whole agency.

"and you said?" Kelly asked, intrigued as to his answer.

"Yes" Tim answered "the guy thought I was either nuts or….. crazy" almost the entire agency had either met Gibbs or heard about him &amp; the stories were legendary, add that to the story now about his family &amp; they presumed that he'd be overly overprotective.

Kelly smiled "Well, you are a little nuts" she waited a moment "but that's what makes us work, cause we're both a little crazy"

Tim just chuckled "you're not wrong there"

"Did the guy say anything else?" Kelly asked.

"Yea, he said he was really impressed, he doubted he'd go near you with a 12 foot pole" Tim smiled, but he would admit, he wouldn't let any guy near her, she was his.

"Isn't it a 10 foot pole?" Kelly asked.

"He said given he's Gibbs, the extra 2 feet were a requirement, to help avoid the death stare" Tim smirked.

"Nice, very nice" Kelly chuckled "so.. what's Frankfurt like?" she asked.

"Was ok, didn't get to see much of the city, would need to go back there to get a real feel for it" Tim said.

"go back with work or…" Kelly smiled.

"definitely or. We've got so many places to choose from, and that's places we haven't been yet. Cause I'd love to get back to Florence, Rome &amp; Barcelona" Tim said, they already managed a few trips &amp; he'd love to go back to those places too.

"I agree, but let's keep the rule of only new places for now, there's so much to see, we shouldn't double up" Kelly replied.

After ordering their fish &amp; chips they headed for a nice grass area overlooking the port area.

* * *

"Why don't I tell the others I'll skip movie night?" Kelly suggested "I mean, what's the big deal if I miss one movie night?"

Tim smiled, they were still sitting on the grassed area over looking the port area, it was one his favourite spots to sit with her "Doubt your dad would like that, especially considering the movie he wants to watch, isn't it the last Harry Potter movie?"

Kelly chuckled "second last, but I've seen it... heaps of times" she leaned in for another kiss.

Tim returned that kiss, gosh he'd missed her! He'd only been in Frankfurt for the week, but still! speaking &amp; texting numerous times each day, just wasn't the same! "Maybe you can be late" he agreed.

Kelly grinned "ah huh" as she moved the remains of their dinner away &amp; push him back so she could lay on him.

Tim smiled, he'd love to stay like this this for a while... one issue "Kells, movie night, your dad would probably smack me through christmas if I made you miss it"

"You're not making me miss it, I'm choosing to miss it for you, difference" Kelly replied.

Tim chuckled, he seriously doubted Gibbs would see the difference.

"Let me handle my big scary daddy" Kelly said as she leaned into another kiss.

Tim smiled coming into it "ok"

The pair enjoyed the kiss &amp; were startled when Kelly's phone rang.

Kelly groaned "if this is dad, I swear..." she sighed "yes dad"

Tim couldn't help but chuckle, leave it to Gibbs..

"We're coming home now" Kelly said, but the look on her face was one of defeat.

Tim brushed her hair away from her face as she hung up "So that's showing him" he smirked.

"ow shush you!" Kelly smirked "I say we need a weekend away, just us"

Tim smiled "Euro Disney here we come"

* * *

"How was dinner?" Gibbs smirked as he saw his girl &amp; Tim approach the house, he'd just gotten home too.

Kelly just eyed him "considering you interrupted us, it was short, theres no reason we couldn't have done movie night tomorrow" she was going to continue but she saw her brother pull up into the driveway.

Nix had heard his sisters comments as he hopped out of his car "Nope can't do that. We've got plans" he grinned at his sister.

Kelly, Gibbs &amp; Tim all looked at him confused.

"What plans Phoenix?" Gibbs asked, last he knew they had no set plans.

"I scored some VIP tickets to the Release of the Hobbit movie" Nix grinned.

Kelly grinned "Awesome! How many?" she could see Tim was happy about that as well.

"Enough" Nix replied.

"What time is this movie Phoenix?" Gibbs asked eyeing him

"It starts at 16:00, I'll be finished by 22:00, maybe 22:30 dad, I'll then head straight to the club, I'll get plenty of rest, the game's not til 19:00 on Sunday" Nix answered, the entire team always had to sleep the night before a game at the club facilities, even if they weren't in the match day squad, and they had to be there by 23:00, earlier kick offs brought the curfew forward.

"You need rest &amp; a solid night sleep Phoenix &amp; given we're spending all day out tomorrow, going out in the evening like that probably isn't the best, you should be at the club by 22:00, no 21:30" Gibbs replied, keeping a rein on his social life was one of the challenges he &amp; his wife had faced, this boy seemed to get on with everyone so much he'd get invited to everything, he was so like his mother in that regard. He doubted anyone wouldn't realise he'd only been at the club a couple of months at the rate he gets invited to things.

Nix moaned "come on! I can still get decent sleep by getting to the club a little later"

"Good evening" Shannon smiled coming out of the house, she'd seen them come home a few minutes ago &amp; wanted to get on with the show, but she had heard the conversation that was starting.

"Good evening" Gibbs smiled as he took her into his hold, giving her a kiss "guess who I saw this afternoon?" he asked finishing with a look to his son.

"Who?" Shannon asked, wondering where he was going with this, she saw though her daughter &amp; Tim looked curious whereas her son looked worried.

Gibbs turned to his son before answering "Colonel Burrows, she wants to arrange a time to come meet, so you can talk through the assignment. I could say you're free tomorrow night?" he finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Sounds like a good idea, you should get an early night anyway" Shannon remarked.

Kelly had pulled Tim aside as they watched on, wanting to both stay out of it &amp; watch, it was kinda funny &amp; had become a regular discussion, she enjoyed watching her brother try to negotiate for that extra 15 or 30 minutes, but maybe not "think we'll go inside" she suggested, drawing a nod from Tim.

"Why don't we all go inside, we can finish discussing this &amp; not catch cold" Shannon suggested, she wanted them all to go in at the one time.

"You're no help" Nix whispered to his sister.

Kelly smirked "you should have seen that coming"

Gibbs nodded as he followed his family, but he stopped &amp; looked at Tim "Shouldn't you go check on Zuse, McGee?"

"He's getting an early night, jet lag &amp; all. He's got a base tour &amp; intro sessions starting tomorrow at 07:00, boss" McGee replied

Nix was confused "Who's Zuse?"

Tim grinned "our new probie"

Gibbs had to smile at Tim's pure delight of finally getting a probie, he knew the feeling. He just followed his family inside, he was glad it was the end of another week, and more so glad he didn't have any pressing matters to deal with over the weekend, he could enjoy some time with his wife &amp; kids.

Tim knew what was coming, he shared a smile with Shannon, they were both excited to see their reactions, this was going to be good! No, this was going to be great!

* * *

**A/N: That was a nice dinner for the pair &amp; they can definitely take the mickey out of each other, like all couples should!**

**But it's time for the family to be surprised, how will it go? And will Nix win his battle to get to the movie premier or will Gibbs win out?**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the latest folks! To all my newest followers &amp; favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, you all rock!**

**To answer my guest Reviewers:**

**Sharon: Glad you liked their date, there's definitely more time ahead for the pair!**

**Guest: Tim popping the question &amp; having to ask Gibbs for permission, yea that would something indeed! I shall neither confirm or deny that occurrence in this story.. sorry! **

**Now, shall we see how the family react to Jack? Lets..**

* * *

Kelly &amp; Nix headed in first &amp; stopped dead in their tracks upon entering the living area, their eyes widened in shock.

Tim was right behind them &amp; smiled at the shock, he moved to the side &amp; grabbed his phone, very much wanting to capture the shocked looks on their faces.

Gibbs had noticed that his kids had come to stop not 3 steps in, he had no idea as to why "can you two m ..." but he then saw why they'd frozen &amp; just stared himself.

Shannon had made her way around her family &amp; had to grin at their faces, they were all shocked. She was glad Tim was snapping pictures of this.

Jack just chuckled at the shock on their faces "well hello there" he said looking up from the couch.

Nix was the first to react "gramps!" he grinned, moving closer for a hug.

Jack smiled as he took his grandson into his embrace "oh my boy it's good to see you!"

"Great to see you too gramps!" Nix grinned, he'd missed his grandfather so much!

Jack turned his attention to his granddaughter "Kell darling, it's so great to see you!"

Having come out of her shock Kelly smiled "it's great to see you too gramps" she went in for a hug instantly.

Jack smiled, as he came out of the hug with his granddaughter, he then turned &amp; looked towards his son "Leroy"

Gibbs smiled "hi dad, great to see you" he went into a hug with his dad, he couldn't believe how nice it was to see him but after all the time they'd spent together he'd really missed him.

"Good to see you too son" Jack replied, he too had missed his family so much.

Gibbs looked towards his wife, she was grinning way too much, hmmm... payback was going to big! "Shan?"

"Yes?" Shannon asked, though she knew exactly what he was getting at "your father did say he'd come visit as soon as we'd settled in, no?"

Gibbs just eyed her "you do realise that the amount of payback you're owed is building &amp; your birthday is coming soon"

"ow darling, just suck it up" Shannon smirked "are you not happy to see your dad?"

Jack had to chuckle, he knew his son hated surprises &amp; that hadn't changed "Jethro?"

Gibbs just shook his head "not the point Shan &amp; you know it" he turned to his dad "of course I'm happy to see you dad, just a little surprised, why didn't you tell me?"

"Yea!" Nix &amp; Kelly both chimed in.

"And miss the looks on your faces? Oh, heavens no, this was quite worth it" Jack chuckled, Shannon was right, it was brilliant!

"So, how long you here for dad?" Gibbs asked, having gotten over the shock of both his dad being here &amp; his wife arranging it to surprise them, he wanted to get some details.

Jack was glad to have his grandson right next to him, he patted him on his leg "well, I can't really leave before Christmas can I?"

Kelly beamed "Great!" she was so glad to have him here for some decent time.

Nix grinned, his grandfather was here for a good month, that was awesome! "Brilliant! There's a game on Sunday too!"

"and I can't wait my boy, been waiting for it since you left" Jack smiled.

Nix couldn't contain his excitement, he had to share the news he'd been holding onto "I'm on the bench!"

"Phoenix!" Gibbs &amp; Shannon both exclaimed.

"Squirt!" Kelly exclaimed as she jumped onto him with pride.

Nix just grinned "pretty cool huh?"

Kelly just grinned "yea, I'll give you that! Guess mum &amp; I are off to Milan pretty soon"

"Sounds good to me Kells" Shannon smiled.

"my dear boy, that's marvellous!" Jack said with pride, he'd gotten here just in time!

"Congrats!" Tim added.

"Darling, that's wonderful news! I'm so proud of you!" Shannon beamed as she gave him a hug. He'd been working so ever hard, he'd only made it onto the bench once before, and that was 3 weeks ago for an away game due to injuries, though he hadn't made it onto the field that day. The level here was much higher than US college soccer, he was having to work so hard, and he had been, he'd been put in so many extra hours so this opportunity was just reward.

Gibbs beamed as he waited for his wife to come out of the hug, as soon as his boy was free, he brought him into a hug "That's terrific pal! See, hard work pays off, I'm so proud of you son" he finished into his ear.

Nix smiled "thanks, can't believe it! Trivola is still injured but apparently, one of the first team assistant coaches also asked my coach to give me a shot, wanting me to get an opportunity &amp; see how I go"

"You'll have to make sure we have enough tickets then, I'm sure a whole lot of people will be chomping at the bit to come to see you" Gibbs smiled, he was proud as punch, he wondered though how his son would take it if he didn't get onto the pitch.

"I've got my usual allocation of 10, and the boys who are on the sidelines have offered me some of theirs, I've got 30 tickets up my sleeve" Nix replied, his first chance at game time on home ground was a big deal, especially as he'd only been here at the club a short time in relative terms.

"I'm sure we can find owners for them" Shannon smiled, she was beyond proud.

Kelly was utterly shocked at her brother's news, but something dawned on her about her grandfather "hang on a sec, why'd you say I could take the car today? How'd you plan to go to get gramps?" she asked her mum.

"I was going to borrow Breena's car" Shannon replied.

"Breena knew?" Kelly asked, really?

"Yes" Shannon replied, she decided to have some fun "oh and Jethro, I quite like the look of their new probie, that young man, Zuse, he doesn't look like too shabby"

Gibbs got confused "when did you see him?"

Tim swallowed, he knew what was coming.

"He was on the same flight as your father, he actually sat next to him, so I met him when he arrived" Shannon explained.

Gibbs eyes moved from her to McGee "McGee! you knew!"

Kelly looked at him, her dad was right "Tim!"

Gibbs eyed his agent "McGee, you &amp; I need to have a serious discussion about keeping secrets"

"Sorry dad, but I'm first" Kelly interjected, she couldn't believe he didn't say anything.

"I got told to zip it" Tim swallowed, he knew he was in deep trouble.

"You know what Jethro, you may wish to let them speak, because if you're going to reprimand Tim for it, you'll have to do the same with Megan" Shannon smirked.

Gibbs looked at his wife, she knew? Wait was that why he'd had to stay back? It was a matter that could have waited until Monday "Tristan knew?... Is there anyone that didn't?"

"Yes, you and your children" Shannon replied "now, can we move on, perhaps to the new arrival or the marvellous news about Nix making the bench?"

Tim wanted to give the family some time alone, and Kelly some time to cool down, he knew she was annoyed with him for keeping that secret "Ah, it was nice to see you again Jack, but I should go"

"I'll walk you out Timothy" Kelly remarked eyeing him.

Nix held back a laugh, but the way she was eyeing him was brilliant, it was death rays! "Let him live long enough for the movie at least &amp; my game!"

"Maybe" Kelly smirked.

Gibbs turned to his son &amp; spoke gently, "Phoenix, no movie, you need to save your strength for the game, you haven't put in all the work to have a crazy day tomorrow &amp; not be able to say you didn't give it your best shot, I think our day plans should change too."

Nix moaned, but he kinda agreed that his dad was right, he just really wanted to see the movie! "What if I skip the day plans &amp; just do the movie?"

Shannon shared a look with her husband "Darling, think about why we're telling you this, we want you to give it your all on Sunday, so you'll need a restful day"

* * *

Tim got outside &amp; turned, he couldn't help himself, he laughed "what?... Come on Kell, the look on your face, priceless! It was worth keeping the secret!"

"You know, I think I'll agree with dad on this topic... just wait for payback!" Kelly smirked, she'd work something out!

"We going to start a surprise tit for tat?" Tim grinned, he liked the sound of that.

"Careful what you wish for" Kelly replied.

Tim grinned "I'll see you in the morning"

Kelly smiled "yupp"

Tim took hold of her &amp; brought her in for a goodnight kiss "go have fun with your grandfather" he watched as she headed back inside, he knew that even though she was annoyed with him about the secret, she was happy to have her grandfather here, he headed back towards his place smiling, life was good.

"McGee!" Tony called.

"Hey" Tim greeted still smiling.

Tony noticed his big smile "Something good happen huh?"

Tim smiled "you could say that" he wouldn't say anything, it would be a good surprise for him too.

"Beer?" Tony suggested, as they headed into their apartment block.

"Sure" Tim agreed "Sea Hawk still getting in Sunday?"

Tony smiled "as far as I know"

"We should try that new Tapas place this week then" Tim suggested as they took a seat in Tony's lounge area, him, Kelly, Tony &amp; Ziva often went out together.

Tony would have loved that... but "Don't get your hopes up, there's also a marine unit getting in on Monday, Marine unit, Sea Hawk in port..."

Tim sighed "great, guess we should enjoy this weekend then" with all those extra marines &amp; naval personnel, the chances of all of them keeping on the straight &amp; narrow, zilch!

"Tomorrow should be fun" Tony chuckled, he was actually looking forward to it, he saw Tim give a chuckle as well, he heard the a knock on the door.

Tim saw Kelly come in "what wrongs?" why would she come over now?

"Nothing's wrong, needed to run something by you both" Kelly smiled, as she took a seat &amp; a swig of Tim's beer.

Tony nodded at her action &amp; promptly pulled another beer out for Tim "which is?"

"Well, we're going to have to change our plans for tomorrow" Kelly said looking between them.

Tony &amp; Tim looked at each other "Why?" they both asked confused.

"Cause of Sunday" Kelly smiled at Tim, she saw though that Tony was confused "Nix has made the bench for the game"

Tony's eyes widened "seriously?" that was a massive deal, he knew that.

"Yup" Kelly smiled, she was proud of her brother "so dad doesn't want him to overexert himself, and he thinks that a trip to the 'fun park' &amp; then us going to the hobbit movie release will do that"

Tony was disappointed, but he knew Gibbs was right "so... hang on what hobbit movie release?"

"Nix had been given a bunch of tickets to it, it's set for tomorrow night, well, late afternoon" Kelly explained.

"Awesome!" Tony grinned.

Kelly sighed "yea"

"What's wrong?" Tim asked, she didn't seen as excited as she was earlier about it.

"Nix is still negotiating with mum &amp; dad about being allowed to go" Kelly answered.

Tony smirked, he'd witnessed those negotiations too "and?"

"Well, let's just say... does it ever end with Nix getting what he wants?" Kelly answered.

Tim smiled "so what's the plan for tomorrow then?" he thought of something "Didn't Duncan say there was bowl off happening tomorrow night at the Show Bowl? With his team gone, the NCIS team may need extras" he suggested, knowing full well Kelly wouldn't want to go to the movie if her brother couldn't.

"Sounds promising, as far as the day plans, mum's kinda suggested... a shopping day" Kelly finished with a grin.

"and your dad?" Tony enquired.

Kelly laughed "well, mum said that if he was going to veto the trip to the fun park and the movie, he had to give something in return... so we're going shopping" her dad had refused to go shopping for ages, he now had to suck it up &amp; go with it.

Tony couldn't help himself "he is going to loooooveeee that! Can't wait!" he laughed, he knew his boss had a major aversion to it.

* * *

**A/N: Hoped you liked that surprise! And YAY for Nix making the bench, think Gibbs &amp; Shannon are right about having a restful day though!**

**So a shopping/relaxing day is ahead... a fun filled day is ahead! All are welcome!**

**More up soon, you know I love hearing your thoughts so review away!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok folks, it's shopping time! To my newest followers/favourites, welcome, welcome! Glad to have you on this new ride! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I love hearing your thoughts, they spur me on!**

**To Guest Reviewer Sharon: I'm so glad you loved it! As for Gibbs &amp; Kelly getting Shannon &amp; Tim back for the surprise... yea, working on that!**

**This is the first chapter I've got some Italian, the translation is in brackets. I do not speak Italian, I use google to translate everything, so I apologise for any errors.**

**Shall we now see how the shopping goes? And maybe we get a glimpse of grandpa Jethro Gibbs?**

* * *

"Come on dad!" Kelly groaned.

Gibbs grumbled something indecipherable as he finished getting ready.

Shannon shook her head "Jethro! Hurry up!"

Gibbs eyed her "I'll be ready in 5, what's the rush?" Gibbs asked.

"We'd like to get there when the stores open, so we can shop &amp; then come home for a rest before heading to the Show Bowl, so that your son can rest for tomorrow, that was your idea, no?" Shannon challenged, he'd been all for changing the plans, but as soon as she'd come up with new plans that would require less exertion he was less than thrilled.

"I'm ready" Gibbs announced, though he wasn't looking forward to this.

"Finally!" Shannon, Kelly &amp; even Nix exclaimed.

Jack just chuckled, his son clearly was not liking the days plans anymore, it was one he was skipping though, he wanted to go tonight &amp; wanted to rest instead of walking around a shopping mall, jet-lag had gotten the better of him already.

Shannon followed her husband &amp; kids outside, but pulled him back "I know you're not excited about this Jethro, heck blind Freddy can tell that. But as we've already discussed your new position requires you to wear more suits &amp; shirts instead of the polo's, and your supply is drastically low, so we need to buy you some more"

Gibbs just nodded, he knew she was right, but he hated having to wear suits &amp; shirts almost every day, the polo's were him, it was his uniform so to speak, he felt more comfortable in them. "I know but.."

"but you don't want to give up the polo's cause their your NCIS uniform?" Shannon ask, she didn't even wait for the reply "I have no doubt that between us all we can find something that you can feel the same in, you never know between us all, we might find some more formal polo's you can wear"

That was part of Gibbs's issue, they were all going shopping just to buy him clothes, not just his family, but Tony &amp; Tim, even Jimmy &amp; Breena were tagging along "I don't need everyone dressing me."

"Do you honestly think that everyone is going shopping just to dress you?" Shannon asked with a raised eyebrow "when was the last time those children of ours went into any clothing store &amp; did not buy something for themselves, I would even put Tony into that basket &amp; I have no doubt Kelly &amp; Breena will be on the look out for clothes for Tim &amp; Jimmy"

Gibbs just looked at her.

"Darling, there's no way out of this, if you want we can split off when we get there &amp; go just us, or you can stay here &amp; we will buy stuff without you for you, but I doubt you want that" Shannon suggested, he was so stubborn.

"I'll come" Gibbs finally conceded.

Shannon smiled "good" she leaned in &amp; gave him a kiss "good boy" she smirked.

Gibbs smirked as he followed her shaking his head in amusement.

"I think we should start in Armani" Nix suggested as they all headed into the mall, they were at the Naples outlets.

"Budget Phoenix" Gibbs said, he didn't want them to go overboard.

"Mum said we had no budget today for your clothes" Nix answered.

Gibbs looked over at his wife "Shan?"

"We aren't limiting ourselves Jethro, I want you to look your best, the clothes enhance the person, and you've been wearing the same things since we got here, it's time for new clothes &amp; I am not limiting that" Shannon answered.

Tony was heading to the shops, he'd driven with Tim &amp; Kelly, they'd already met up with Jimmy &amp; Breena &amp; he saw the Gibbs family ahead "hey" he greeted.

"Hey" Nix said.

"Hi guys, how'd the little man sleep last night Breena?" Shannon asked, he still wasn't sleeping through the night.

"Hi, he only woke once, so that's an improvement" Breena answered, she had to admit, having Shannon there was such a big help with Adam.

"So... dad, Armani" Nix motioned.

"We're going to start in Baby Gap" Jimmy announced.

"I've gotta get some ink for my typewriter &amp; some other supplies" Tim said.

"I'll go with you McGoo, translator &amp; all" Tony suggested, they couldn't all go with Gibbs, he'd feel too overwhelmed.

"So, Armani it is" Kelly declared, she pulled on her dad's arm.

Gibbs allowed himself to be dragged. The family headed straight for the men's section.

Shannon saw something she loved instantly "ow, I like this one" she said as she pulled a blue woollen V Neck cotton top off the rack.

"Nice &amp; with a a suit, you could get away with that, it's formal enough dad" Kelly commented "ow, it comes in Military green too" she said spying the other top.

"Well Jethro?" Shannon asked, it was closer to the polo top's he wore, so she'd hoped he'd say yes.

"Yea, it's not bad, but how much?" Gibbs asked, the tops weren't too bad &amp; at least he didn't have to wear ties with these tops, that was his preference, tops or shirts without ties, though he knew some days he had to wear the full suit.

"I don't think so" Shannon replied "we are not telling you any prices today" she knew her husband would gawk at the prices &amp; while she was still getting used to shopping at the higher end of the scale, he was still trying to shop at the cheaper places, and the quality just wasn't the same.

"We can't spend thousands of dollars in one day" Gibbs said looking squarely at his wife.

"One day's spending will do you for clothes for a while I'd imagine, we don't have to worry about you coming back here every weekend, unlike other members of this family" Shannon finished with a sliding glance to her daughter.

"What?" Kelly smirked "I never go over my budget, now do I?"

"True" Shannon agreed.

"Hey, what about this?" Nix said as he held up a grey woollen suit.

Shannon led them over to take a better look "I like it &amp; you need a new grey suit, go try it on" she said passing it to her husband "with the tops, let's see the whole outfit"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, but went in, he had to admit, he was glad it was just his family.

"Scusami, posso aiutarti?" the assistant said approaching the family (excuse me, may I help you?)

Kelly smiled "No grazie, stiamo bene" (no thanks, we're fine) they'd all started the pick up the language at a decent pace, these simple phrases obviously coming first, but her &amp; her brother had the advantage of having studied Italian at school.

Nix's eye's widened as his dad came out of the dressing room "Nice dad!"

"You look good dad!" Kelly smiled.

Shannon smiled, he looked very nice in the suit &amp; V neck top, it was definitely good enough for him to wear to work "Very nice Jethro, so? Do you like?"

Gibbs smiled "I have to admit, I do" the material was soft &amp; fitted really well, and the V neck was formal enough to pass for work.

"I'm glad' Shannon replied.

"Don't take the suit off dad, try these" Kelly said, passing him 2 cotton shirts, one black one royal blue. "Think they'll look great with that suit"

* * *

"you know want I'm loving" Tony remarked, as they headed back towards the store, they'd gotten Tim's supplies &amp; already loaded them into the car.

"What?" Tim asked.

"It's December" Tony replied.

Tim was confused "ok"

"It's December McGee and..." Tony prompted.

"and what Tony?" Tim asked.

"We're not wearing coats!" Tony replied "we're only wearing jumpers, that's like unheard of!" he was loving the weather here in Naples, it hadn't even gotten down to 59 deg F (15 deg C) yet.

Tim smiled, he had to admit it was nice to not have to be rugged up in coats "It is nice"

"Burberry?" Tony suggested

"Sure" Tim agreed &amp; they headed for the store.

Tony headed for the suits while Tim checked out the jeans.

"I like the white ones" Kelly said wrapping her arms around Tim from behind.

Tim turned &amp; smiled "really?"

"yea" Kelly agreed, she moved next to him "look, white jeans, that nice green V neck aannnnddd" she looked around, she smiled &amp; moved a little away "this nice black swede jacket, I think that's quite an ensemble, especially for a night out on the town" she finished in a whisper.

Tim smiled "then I guess I should try it on"

"Good idea" Kelly nodded with a grin.

Shannon saw Tony looking at the suits &amp; headed for him "I think these slim fits would really suit you Tony"

Tony smiled "I was looking at the charcoal one, or the navy one" he actually liked getting her opinion, even though he was just looking.

"Well, I think they're both lovely, so the shirts that you've got, which suit would go with more of them?" Shannon asked.

Tony considered it "probably the charcoal one"

"Then try it on for me, with... this shirt annnd... this tie" Shannon said, pulling it all together.

Tony looked at it, the tie was fine, it was charcoal, the shirt though was pink, a faded pink, but... "pink?"

"You have an issue with your masculinity?" Shannon asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope" Tony replied &amp; headed straight for the change rooms.

"McGee you in here?" Tony asked.

"yeap, Kells wants me to try some stuff on, you?" Tim asked.

"how is it that even without Ziva I end up trying on more clothes than I normally do?" Tony asked, he really was only looking at the suit, he hadn't planned on buying another suit, he just liked to look.

"Shannon huh?" Tim guessed.

"McGee!" Gibbs called with a smirk, he was in another change room, trying on a pair of trousers, with a shirt &amp; a Mohair Blazer that his wife had insisted he try,

Tim swallowed, he didn't realise Gibbs was trying stuff on too "sorry boss" neither him or Tony had been given permission to call her that yet, it was still ma'am or Mrs Gibbs, he had to wonder though whose idea that was.

"Muuuuummm" Nix moaned.

"You need another suit mister, you have been wearing those 2 you have every few days, you need another one" Shannon replied, it was club policy that they wear black suits, white shirts &amp; the club ties to numerous functions, along with meetings. Game days they had official club suits to wear.

Kelly couldn't help but let out a chuckle, so far all the boys were in the change rooms &amp; here came Breena &amp; Jimmy, it was a little odd that they'd all decided to go into the same store at the same time.

"Breena, we can't afford this" Jimmy whispered.

"It's fine Jimmy, you need a new suit for the conferences &amp; stuff, we've got the money" Breena replied, with him now a full ME &amp; not assistant, he'd gotten a pay rise &amp; they also had a living away from home allowance.

"I don't need this suit" Jimmy said a little louder.

Breena just eyed him.

"Palmer, suck it up &amp; come join the rest of us!" Tony called.

Jimmy got a fright "you're all in here?"

"Yes!" came the reply from Gibbs, Nix, Tim &amp; Tony.

Shannon, Kelly &amp; Breena all let out chuckles.

* * *

By the time they all arrived back to the Gibbs house, they were ladened with clothes &amp; ready for a rest. Jack watched as they all filed through the door. The bodies just kept coming, his whole family, Tony, Tim, Breena &amp; Jimmy too with Adam.

"Well hello, and how was the shopping trip?" Jack greeted.

"Jack!" Tony said surprised.

"Tony, Jimmy, Breena, it's good to see you all" Jack said, liking the surprise on their faces

Jack greeted each of them &amp; then turned to the pram "hasn't he grown!"

"He certainly has" Breena agreed.

"Breena, do you want a bottle warmed up?" Shannon asked, she turned to her son though "Nix, can yo go put your suit away straight away &amp; put dad's stuff away too please"

Nix nodded &amp; took all their stuff upstairs.

Breena approached Shannon in the kitchen with the bottle "thank you, but Shannon.."

Shannon looked at her "don't go there Breena, it was our pleasure, he looks very good in that suit" she turned to look at Tony &amp; Tim &amp; knew they felt the same way "and that goes for you two as well, I don't want to hear it"

Tony turned to Gibbs "boss..."

"Shut it DiNozzo" Gibbs replied "you should know by now that there is no arguing with her, don't worry about it, it was our treat"

"Thanks again boss, Mrs Gibbs" Tim said, he still couldn't believe that they'd paid for all the stuff they all got at Burberry, it must have been in the thousands dollars realm for sure!

"Yea, thanks again" Tony said, he still got overwhelmed that they cared enough about them, him, to do this kind of thing &amp; it hadn't been the first time either.

"You're all most welcome" Shannon replied, in a way each of them needed parental figures &amp; that's what her &amp; Jethro were, and what parents don't spoil their kids from time to time? "now, whats say we have some lunch, Tony can you bring the bread over here &amp; we'll get started."

"Sure" Tony offered, they'd stopped off &amp; grabbed some fresh bread &amp; pastries for lunch, the others had stopped to get some fish &amp; meats to go with it.

Jack sat in amazement, he thought they all were close back when they'd visited in Stillwater, but now, they were a lot closer, they were truly one big family.

"yes well, I think the driving instructor almost had a nervous breakdown having to ride with all of you" Shannon commented as she stood up &amp; cleared some of the lunch things up.

Nix laughed "that's why we spread the crazy drivers amongst the more calmer ones"

Shannon eyed her son "I had to give that poor woman a break between you two" she said flashing between her son &amp; husband "or she would have had a nervous breakdown for sure!"

Gibbs smirked "we controlled ourselves enough to pass"

"and I am still amazed that you did!" Shannon retorted with her own smirk.

Tony &amp; Jimmy shared a smile, she was the only person who could have any hope of sticking to Gibbs &amp; getting away with it, or better come out on top!

"We should play Mouse Trap, it's finals time" Nix ginned.

"I'll help you set up" Jimmy agreed, but he stopped when heard Adam cry.

"I'll get him Jimmy, you &amp; Breena are set to play anyway" Shannon offered.

Kelly saw her grandfather was a little confused "Tony found the game at the navy exchange &amp; we've been having round robin competitions, it's time for the final, with Jimmy, Breena, Tim &amp; Nix"

"Ahh, sounds like some fun has been had" Jack smiled.

"and fun to come" Nix grinned.

Gibbs moved towards his wife who was nursing Adam on the other side of the lounge area, trying to get him back to sleep "he should be resting" he said quietly.

Shannon had to admit he was right "ok, take this one, let me handle it" she said, as she shift Adam into her husband's arms. She wanted to do this, because she basically gave her blessing.

Gibbs held Adam, his gaze sweeping between the little boy in his arms &amp; his wife, it was almost like they had a grandson, but it was also hard for him, he was holding this bundle, but he never got the chance to hold his little guy.

Shannon approached the boys "ahh, why don't we watch a movie this afternoon, Tuesday night can be Mouse Trap finals night"

"What? Why?" Nix asked, he was looking forward to it.

Shannon just looked at her son, hoping he'd get the message.

Nix saw the look he was getting from his mum, he glanced to his dad who was also eyeing him, he sighed "okaaaaayyyyyy" he knew what they wanted, for him to rest &amp; he knew they were right.

"Did you guys end up watching Harry Potter last night? We could watch that now" Tim suggested, he knew why the change of plans was suggested, as did the others.

"No we didn't, I think that's a wonderful idea" Shannon agreed, she flashed a look to her husband who was now paying close attention to Adam's smell "does someone need a change?"

Breena stood instantly "let me"

Shannon shook her head "Breena, I'm more than sure that Jethro can manage a simple diaper change, he's the one who's holding him after all" she finished smirking at her husband.

Gibbs eyed his wife.

"No, I insist, I will change him" Breena replied, moving towards Gibbs to take her son, they both did so much for them with Adam, but she hated taking so much.

Gibbs held his hand up to Breena "I can handle it, I never shrank from this kind of stuff &amp; never will, so you can plant yourself onto the couch"

"I can.." Breena tried again.

Gibbs raised his eyebrow "you, couch" he pointed.

Breena held her hands up in defeat "ok, but don't say I didn't warn you, his... diapers have been explosive recently"

Gibbs had to smile "my dear, compared to that one" he said pointing at his daughter "I seriously doubt anyone can compete" he finished with a smirk.

"Hey!" Kelly exclaimed.

Gibbs chuckled, as he walked past his daughter he gave her a quick peck on the head "you ruled the roost, you should be proud"

Kelly just watched her dad walk up the stairs, she didn't even have anything to say to that, proud? Where did one go with that?

* * *

**A/N: That was a fun day! Guess the boys have learnt who's in charge! It's just so nice to see them all together, really like one big happy family.. but how will the bowling night go? Who will do what to bring out the protective instincts of all the men?**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More up soon! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: To my newest followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you join us on this ride! To my reviewers, you all rock! I love hearing your thoughts &amp; comments, they spur to me to write more!**

**To answer my guest Reviewers**

**Sharon: So glad you're loving this! Shannon does wear the pants, for certain aspects of family life that is, Gibbs though rules the roost when it comes to protecting them all! Kelly making a comment about the Palmer's baby V hers &amp; Tim's, well ... yea, that may come up at some point :)**

**Guest****: I'm glad you're enjoying this! I think Tim would think that bypassing Gibbs with the asking 'permission' might be a bad idea, with the idea of eloping being suicidal! lol. As for calling them Shannon, I seem to think that it's not her insisting on that stipulation, me thinks it a certain Silver Haired gentleman... that'll change though. As for Gibbs &amp; Kelly getting Tim back for the surprise, it'll be fun, not bad, so don't worry! **

Let's see what comes from the 'bowl off' night?...

* * *

"NCIS personnel only! No dependants!" came a call.

Gibbs &amp; his family had just walked into the bowling alley when he heard the call &amp; looked over, it was Dr Brine "Harm" he greeted shaking hands.

"Jethro" Brine greeted "personnel only, no dependants, they're the rules" he'd heard that Gibbs, DiNozzo &amp; his team were taking Duncan's team place in the bowl off.

Gibbs had to smile "still annoyed you lost out to my wife?"

Brine smirked back "I wasn't the only one, and it wasn't just her!"

"Why Harmon, I'm glad you remember" Shannon smiled approaching.

"How could I forget? My ego &amp; my sons ego's took a great beating the night we went up against you &amp; your family" Brine replied.

Gibbs smiled, his dad just joined them "Dr Harmon Brine, this is my father, Jackson Gibbs. Dad, this is Doctor Harmon Brine, our neighbour &amp; the head doctor at the base hospital"

"Dr Brine" Jack greeted, this man was as tall as his son, but with black hair &amp; a slim but solid build.

"Call me Harm &amp; it's a great pleasure to meet you too Mr Gibbs" Brine replied.

Shannon smiled, but a sound caught her attention, Tony was coughing not too far away, she moved closer "are you ok Tony?"

"Fine, something stuck in my throat" Tony replied.

Shannon just eyed him "and I'd agree, but you've been coughing off &amp; on all day"

Tony wanted to disagree, but he couldn't.

"Jimmy" Shannon called, they'd just arrived.

"Hi" Jimmy greeted.

Shannon smiled "Tony's been coughing all day, could I trouble you to check him out tomorrow?"

"Honestly, it's just a little cough, I'm fine" Tony insisted.

"Anthony, you have to be careful, especially with your scared lungs, we aren't taking chances" Shannon replied giving him a good stare.

"Of course I can check you Tony, you should have come to me earlier" Jimmy said, giving him his own stare. Their health was now his responsibility, it was something Ducky had drummed into him &amp; a responsibility that he took seriously.

"If you like you can come into the hospital, I'm on shift from 08:00" Brine offered as they came closer.

"Honestly doc's..." Tony tried.

Shannon's stare stopped his sentence dead in his tracks "Actually, I think that's a good idea, full check up"

Tony's eyes widened in shock "I don't need.."

"Smile &amp; nod DiNozzo" Gibbs suggested "or I'll head-slap you right here &amp; we can go straight to the hospital now"

"Boss" Tony tried, except he was taken by another brief coughing attack.

"I rest my case" Shannon stated.

Tony just nodded in defeat, he was seriously not liking having to submit for a full check up, or having to get up early on a Sunday, but knowing how much he was cared for gave him a warm &amp; fuzzy feeling. Just like he considered Gibbs like his dad, Shannon was definitely like his mum, but not just his, all of them, Ziva, Tim, even Breena &amp; Jimmy could feel the real family vibe they had going on.

"Good" Shannon smiled "Now though you boys need to get moving &amp; restore some NCIS bowling pride. The NATO team have been winning far too often from what I hear"

Jimmy grinned "we're tough to beat"

Tony looked up, that was a challenge he'd accept "you're going down Palmer!"

"Bring it on DiNozzo" Jimmy replied.

* * *

Gibbs took his stance to bowl.

"Don't concentrate too hard Gibbs!" Brine commented.

"Go for it boss!" came a call from Wu.

"any time now Gibbs" came a call, Gibbs knew who that was from, Commander Marks.

Jack just watched his son, it was quite something this whole scene, he knew his son had never been one to mix in the work social scene before, he was always too caught up in shutting himself away from the world, so to see him mixing &amp; participating in such an event was heart warming, he couldn't help but think how much his Anne would have loved this.

"Come on dad!" Nix egged him on.

Taking a deep breath, Gibbs aimed &amp; sailed the ball down the alley, he watched it &amp; grinned.

"Damn!" Brine groaned.

"Typical" Marks commented..

"Nice boss!" Wu exclaimed.

"Yeaa!" came the call from Jonas.

"Nice strike Boss" Tim remarked, it was great strike.

"That's showing 'em dad!" Nix grinned.

Gibbs nodded, but his eyes fell to the their baby, their probie agent "Zuse"

Zuse swallowed as he stood "sirrr...boss" he corrected, this guy was still un-nerving him.

"No pressure, but you don't get at least a spare &amp; the Fleet &amp; Hospital teams can over take us for second spot, we need to hold it &amp; push it to catch the NATO dweebs, so a strike is preferable" Gibbs finished sternly.

"Who you calling a dweeb?" Silvano asked with a smirk, he was the Head of the NATO ME team.

Gibbs looked him squarely in the eyes &amp; smirked "you Silverado" the pair of them stood side by side as they watched Zuse. Gibbs was enjoying himself, he'd have to make sure they'd come to more of these 'bowl offs'

Silvano smiled, Zuse had only gotten 2 pins "don't think I've got anything to worry about"

Gibbs was annoyed, his gaze settled on Tony "DiNozzo!" he barked, putting him on the roster had been his idea.

Tony promptly went over to Zuse "you said you knew how to bowl Zuse"

"I do sir" Zuse replied, he'd already been told by Silva that Gibbs was to be called 'boss' &amp; Tony was to be called 'sir', "I was VC of my college team"

"Then what the hell was that?" Tony asked.

Zuse flashed a look at Gibbs "he... unsettled me sir"

Tony couldn't contain the grin "He's Gibbs, of course he unsettled you, but you're in NCIS now for the long haul, so you're gonna have to get used to it, better you get used to it now, than have it drag out"

"how?" Zuse asked.

"Easy" Tony replied "you remember being taught how to use the fear to your advantage at FLETC? yea?" he waited for the nod "then use the fear of being chewed out to prevent you doing anything other than getting the required spare"

Zuse nodded "i can try"

"Don't try" Tony disagreed "do, cause you don't get the spare &amp; Gibbs will pull you from the roster &amp; that wont be pretty"

"right" Zuse nodded again.

Tony went back to his seat next to Tim "if he can't do this, I'm screwed" he admitted to his partner.

Tim smiled "putting him on roster was your idea sir" he finished with a smirk.

Tony Gibbs slapped him "don't you start"

Tim just grinned, he knew the 'sir' thing was annoying him, but it wasn't going to change.

Brine &amp; Marks shared a look before looking at Gibbs who was still standing with Silvano.

"You condone that?" Brine asked.

Gibbs tried to hide the smile, he knew what they were referring to, the head-slap "can be a useful technique"

Zuse took up position, he couldn't believe that he was this nervous, he expected to be nervous around the higher ups, but he wasn't expecting the first time for it to happen in this kind of environment &amp; so soon, but there were so many of the 'higher ups' here it was a little frightening. He push all the negative energy down, he could do this, he had to do this, he wouldn't let the team, his boss &amp; his boss's boss down.

Tony watched &amp; let out a sigh of relief "Nice bowl probie!" he gotten the spare.

Zuse smiled in relief "thank you sir"

"Not bad probie" Tim agreed.

"Thanks Agent McGee" Zuse replied.

"Adequate probie" Gibbs said pushing himself forward "next time, I expect that on your first bowl, not second"

Zuse swallowed "yes boss"

Tony &amp; McGee came up to him.

"High praise from Caesar, you should feel honoured" Tony remarked as he watched Gibbs retreat to where Shannon &amp; Jack were.

"That was high praise?" Zuse asked.

Tim nodded "yeap, sure was, you should feel honoured. We never got that when we had just started, but he has mellowed somewhat"

Zuse looked at him, he kinda remembered Gibbs being a hard-arse, but that exactly how he saw him now, this was mellowed? Oh boy!

Kelly approached the bar &amp; smiled at the bar tender "Ciao , posso tenere a portata di 4 birre , 2 limone e Amari , 2 vodka e arancia &amp; 2 cole" (Hi, can i please have 4 beers, 2 lemon lime &amp; bitters, 2 vodka &amp; oranges &amp; 2 colas), she was getting the latest round for everyone.

The bar tender smiled "Si"

Kelly turned to look back to the alleys, Jimmy &amp; Tim were now bowling, along with the girls on the fleet &amp; hospital teams, she didn't know their names, Donnelly was bowling on the second NCIS lane, alongside the 2nd rep's for the NATO &amp; Navy teams. She saw Lt Gomez approach her, he was with JAG &amp; didn't really think all that much of his abilities in the court room, she also knew just how much of a player he was.

"Good Evening Kelly" Lt Gomez smiled.

"Lieutenant Gomez" Kelly replied, this guy was full of himself &amp; definitely a try hard, the clothes he was wearing, tight jeans, silk shirt, looked more fitting for a night club than the bowling alley.

"Off duty, call me Diego" Gomez offered.

"Don't think so" Kelly replied.

"You still annoyed about court the other day?" Gomez asked.

Kelly eyed him "why would I be annoyed? I won, you lost"

"Cause the case was wrapped so fast we barely got a chance to spar, think you're disappointed at that" Gomez replied with half a smile.

"Think I live with the disappointment" Kelly replied dryly.

"Maybe we can do a different kind of sparing, can I buy you a drink?" Gomez tried, again with that half smile.

Tony noticed that Kelly was at the bar &amp; had company, he looked Mediterranean, dark hair, olive skin, medium height, but he saw she wasn't impressed with what he was saying, with Tim tied up &amp; not wanting to involve Gibbs just yet, he headed over "need a hand with the drinks Kells" he said, making sure to place himself close behind her.

Kelly looked over shoulder "thanks, they're just being made"

"So that's a no?" Gomez asked, he was new in Naples &amp; didn't know all the players, he wondered who this guy was "this your boyfriend?"

"That's a no to your suggestion" Kelly affirmed "as for who he is, that's none of your business"

"I could make it very worth your while, I'm told that quite often you know" Gomez said wriggling his eyebrows.

"Yea? Are you also told to take a hike often too? Cause that's what I'm telling you, take a hike!" Kelly asserted.

Tony just stared at the guy, it was obvious to him where this guy wanted to take things.

Gomez realised he wasn't going to get anywhere, holding his hands up he backed up &amp; left the pair.

Kelly rolled her eyes &amp; turned back to Tony "Thanks, but I had it covered"

"No sweat, I'm sure you did, I was just thirsty" Tony grinned.

"Sure you were Tony" Kelly laughed, not even a year ago she only had one over-protective male in her life, now she had more than she could count.

Gibbs &amp; Shannon were talking with Commander Evans, the lady was in charge over at the Sixth Fleet JAG offices, when Kelly &amp; Tony brought the drinks back &amp; handed them all out.

Kelly gave Silva her drink "watch out for that prick" he said motioning to Gomez half a dozen lanes down "not pretty"

Silva shared a look "Looks that way, thanks for the tip"

Shannon saw her daughter approach, she'd seen her &amp; Silva looking down the alley to some guy "who's the guy"

Kelly flashed a look at Evans &amp; then down to Gomez.

Evans followed her gaze, Gomez! Crap! He'd been sent to Naples to try to be put on the straight &amp; narrow "Don't tell me"

"Sorry Commander, but that guy needs straightening out" Kelly replied.

Gibbs tensed "what did he do?"

Evans gave an internal moan, of all the people for Gomez to try something with, it had to be Kelly Gibbs, the daughter of the man in command of NCIS investigative operations for all of Europe &amp; Africa... yea, he screwed the pooch!

"He just... tried to ask me out" Kelly put it as nicely as possible, then she saw Tim walking purposely towards Gomez, Tony was flashing concerned looks to her, she headed for them.

Kelly caught Tim before he got to the man "leave it Tim"

"He!" Tim protested, he'd seen them talking &amp; got Tony to spill his guts, he needed to do something.

"He got the message, let it go" Kelly tried, she then saw her dad bursting past her "Dad!"

"Jethro!" Shannon called, finally being able to grab him.

"That prick..." Gibbs started.

"Will be dealt with Gibbs, I assure you" Evans interrupted.

"What's going on?" Nix asked, him &amp; his grandfather had been in the arcade area having a game of pool, he saw how tense his dad, Tim &amp; Tony were.

"Let me handle this" Evan added.

"No" Gibbs stated &amp; walked past them, Tim was right on his heels, Nix wasn't sure what was going on but what ever it was, he'd back his dad &amp; Tim up, so he went too.

Tony followed, he saw Jimmy &amp; a few others watching, this wasn't going to end well.

"Hey!" Gibbs barked.

Gomez turned around, he was in conversation with Colonel Marks &amp; his aide "can I help you?"

Gibbs gave him a good glare "stay away from my daughter"

Gomez saw Kelly standing not too far from him "you're Kelly's father? Hmm, interesting, but all I did was ask her out"

"I doubt that" Gibbs retorted.

"Lieutenant Gomez, we are leaving, now" Evans asserted, she needed to diffuse the situation.

Marks looked between everyone "is there something I should know?" one area of the sixth fleet he oversaw was the JAG core.

"No" Evans stated.

"Yes" Gibbs stated.

Marks saw the looks on not only Gibbs's face, but McGee's &amp; Tony's "Commander, take the Lieutenant now, I expect to see both of you at 07:00 Monday morning, my office."

"Sir, I can handle this" Evans tried.

"Given the situation the Lieutenant has brought upon us all, no, I will handle it" Marks asserted, He had an idea as to what was going on, Gomez's file was one he read carefully, he knew the man had been set from HQ in DC to try to get himself straightened out on some of his 'behavioural issues'. It was obvious he had to do something, or Gibbs would &amp; that wouldn't be pretty.

Marks turned to Gomez, using his 6"2 solid frame he brought himself to full height, he could be damn intimidating when he had to be &amp; needed to drive this point home "you Lieutenant are damn lucky that I am here right now, otherwise I have no doubt that NCIS Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs will be mopping the floor with your ass!"

Gomez's eyes widened, Kelly's father was who?

Marks saw Gibbs was still teetering on the brink "Commander get your man out of here &amp; counsel him on the proper way to behave"

"Yes sir" Evans answered "Move Lieutenant, now!"

Gomez followed Evans, now realising he picked the wrong girl, he'd have get a better lay of the land before trying again.

Tim put himself in Gomez's path &amp; stared until they made eye contact "stay away from her!"

Gomez saw the threatening nature of his stare, guess Kelly was taken, but the guy wasn't alone, there was a younger redhead guy, that guy from the bar &amp; another guy with glasses, all were giving him a good threatening glare. "My mistake, didn't know she was taken" he said holding his hands up, before leaving.

Evans took the Lt towards her car "Congratulations Lieutenant, within 10 minutes of being here, you've managed to piss off the entire NCIS EUFO command, the NATO ME team, Base Hospital senior staff, the largest private law firm we deal with in Naples, Colonel Marks **_and me! That really is something!_**" The conversation had basically been watched by everyone &amp; she'd seen numerous people, including Dr Brine &amp; Dr Silvano, Agents Wu &amp; Donnelly all move closer in case anything transpired.

* * *

"He'll be dealt with, I assure you" Marks commented, looking between everyone. He knew that Gibbs was protective of his family, he knew the story, most senior officers in Naples knew. What he didn't realise was how protective the rest of them were, they'd all basically jumped up to defend instantly, Palmer had crossed the alleys so fast it wasn't funny.

Gibbs was still tense, how dare that prick!

Brine had kept some distance, but like Marks he knew how protective Gibbs was, being neighbours with the Gibbs's had given them a great insight into their family dynamic, which to a random off the street would seem strange, what with the adult children still living at home &amp; all their interactions, but given their experiences, he considered it natural.

Kelly could see how tense they all were, Tim looked ready to strangle something, or someone "come on Tim, let's go grab some fresh air" she said taking his hand, her mum could deal with dad.

Tim wanted to punch the guy, however he let himself be pulled towards the roof top balcony.

Marks came closer to Gibbs "I'll deal with him, I promise you Jethro"

"Thank you Ian" Shannon replied, she had to admit, she was wanting to give that guy a piece of her mind "come on, we can't let that guy ruin our night" she commented to her husband, when he turned to look at her she continued "Kells said she's fine, so relax, please" she asked, she looked between the others "all of you, let's get back to the bowling"

Tony, Jimmy, Nix all nodded &amp; headed back towards their lanes, none we're all that relaxed.

"I see that asshole, he's gonna meet my fist" Nix commented tensely.

Jimmy looked over "not your fist, might leave trace evidence, use your boot, then you can throw it away" he smirked.

Tony looked at Jimmy a little surprised, being over here had certainly brought his confidence out to a whole new level &amp; he saw how much he considered everyone family "Palmer, that's one smart idea"

Nix smirked "sounds good to me"

* * *

"He!" Tim vented, he was pissed off.

"He was dealt with" Kelly replied calmly.

Kelly just watched him pace, and pace, and pace.

"Tim... Tim" Kelly said, but he wasn't hearing her "Timothy!" she said a little louder.

Tim stopped his pacing &amp; looked to her.

"He asked me out, none too politely I admit, but I told him where to go. It's not the first time a guy's propositioned me &amp; it probably wont be the last, I know how to deal with it. Nothing would have happened &amp; besides, Tony came charging in to make sure, think the quota of overprotective males in my life has reached it's peak" Kelly said, she'd dealt with plenty of his kind of guys.

Tim had to smile at that, they certainly protected their own, he let out a sigh as he pulled her close "I know, I just hate that it happened, you shouldn't have to deal with those kind of guys, they give the rest of us a bad name." he also wished, it had been him to have seen what was going down &amp; went to stop it himself, but was glad Tony had seen it.

"**He** could never give **you** a bad name, not in a million years" Kelly replied.

Tim just held her from behind as they looked out over the the city, they could see the port, the city really was pretty at night "he should have ended up on the floor" he whispered.

Kelly had been looking out over the port, but something in the car park had caught her attention, oh my! "ahh, he did!" she watched... "oh my g-d, gramps!"

Tim looked down, with the lighting in the car park on, they could see it clearly, Gomez was on the ground &amp; Jack was walking away, holy crap!

"We have to go inside!" Kelly said, as they rushed back inside.

Tim saw that Gibbs was still up the back with Shannon, obviously still stressed.

Kelly saw her parents &amp; coming towards them from the opposite way was her grandfather "Gramps!"

Jack looked at his granddaughter "yes Kelly?"

"What did you do?" Kelly asked.

"Me?" Jack asked

"yes you, what did you just do?" Kelly asked again.

"Nothing" Jack replied, he saw her just eyeing him "I merely conducted an introduction for the Lieutenant, he hadn't had the chance to meet the pavements of Naples, so I obliged"

Shannon's eyes widened "Jack!"

Gibbs smirked &amp; nodded in gratitude &amp; thanks "good work dad, I'll get you a drink" he turned to Tim "come on Tim, we owe my dad a drink"

Tim smirked "sounds about right"

Jack went up to Kelly "my dear, that man needed some sense knocked into him, I merely assisted" he certainly didn't like what he had done, and was glad to have gone unseen as he followed the man.

Kelly just smiled "guess dad has to get it from somewhere"

Jack grinned "and I'm proud of it"

* * *

Things had eventually settled down &amp; Kelly was now sitting along one of the bar areas, which was just above the lanes, she was watching on with Breena &amp; Silva.

"I think you should go for the black &amp; blue one, it looks jazzy" Silva suggested.

"You don't think it's a bad idea?" Breena asked.

"No Breena, he obviously enjoys bowling, so I think getting him a ball would be make for a great part of his Christmas present" Kelly replied, she turned to Silva "So Shaz, thought about what you're going to get Chris?"

Silva smiled, she actually really liked these girls, they weren't stuck up at all, like most American girls she'd previously met that were either lawyers like Kelly or ones that like Breena came from a well to do family. They were both just regular girls that liked a bit of fun "I have to say, no. It'll be our first Christmas together, I hope, so the pressure is on" Chris was in the marines, but had christmas off, and was planning a visit if nothing came up.

Kelly smiled, it was shaping up to be a special Christmas for a lot of them "know what you mean"

"Do you know what you're getting Tim" Silva asked.

"Have a few ideas, but I'm still looking for that really special thing" Kelly replied, she knew what some of the presents would be, but hadn't worked out the big one yet.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something" Breena replied, she saw Nix "looks like your brother is ready to go"

Kelly turned &amp; saw Nix, he had changed into his team tracksuit &amp; was heading towards her "you off?"

Nix didn't sit, but motioned her away, as they went to a more private part of the alley he started "yea, I'm going"

Kelly watched him "relax huh? You've been working really hard, this is the pay off, just consider it a game like when you first made varsity"

"I was nervous then too!" Nix retorted.

Kelly smiled "I know, but you got past the nerves didn't you?"

"yea" Nix agreed "but what if..."

"What if what?" Kelly asked.

"What if..." Nix started, he took a deep breath "what if I don't make it onto the pitch, there's so many people coming"

"Listen to me Phoenix" Kelly stated "You making the bench after being here only 2.5 months is an achievement in itself, it's a massive step. Don't worry if you don't make it onto the pitch or not, no one coming will be disappointed if you don't, we're all there to support you &amp; this is a step up, people want to be apart of that. Just focus on what you can control, and that is you, get a good night sleep, focus on the game plan &amp; just make sure you're ready, so if you do get called onto the pitch you're ready to give it your all, ok?"

"Yea, thanks Kells" Nix smiled, yea he had his folks, but they still relied on each other for a lot.

"No worries, go say bye to everyone" Kelly replied.

Kelly watched as her brother said bye to their parents, to their grandfather &amp; various other people, she wondered what tomorrow would bring, she hoped that he could get the nerves under control. She also prayed that he'd be given the chance to make the pitch, that would be fantastic!

* * *

**A/N: Well that was an interesting night? Wasn't it just? Think that Lt Gomez was lucky to get away with only one decking! But good on Jack for sneaking out! Think Gibbs was taking the bowl off pretty seriously though, and who ended up winning it?**

**But with a new chapter brings a new day &amp; Tony's got not only a doctor's appointment but a certain Israeli to pick up &amp; then there's the small matter of the game! How will it all go? How will Tony &amp; Nix cope with it all? You'll have to wait to find out!**

**The next chapter will be a few days away, still working on it, but remember I love hearing your thoughts, so review away!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ****To all my newest followers &amp; favourites welcome aboard! To my reviewers, thank you so much, I really love hearing your thoughts &amp; they spur me to keep writing, so keep them coming!**

**To Guest Reviewer 1: Regarding the xmas presents, you'll just have to stay tuned.. no hints, sorry!**

**To Guest Reviewer Sharon: I'm so glad you're loving this story so much! Yes, Tim &amp; Gibbs are getting closer. And I'll refer to the above comment regarding xmas - nice ideas, but there are no hints as to what shall come..**

**Now, let's see what the Doc's say for Tony... and how will that game go for Nix, warning, there is foul language in this chapter! **

* * *

Tony sat in one of the patient rooms, he'd already had an x-ray &amp; various other 'routine' exams, he checked his watch again, it was 09:30, he had to be at the docks by 10:30 to pick up Ziva, what was taking so long?

Tony let a sigh when Jimmy walked in "Palmer! What's taking so long?" he was getting a little nervous.

"Sorry Tony, the x-ray machine broke down, should be printing off now" Jimmy said.

"I've gotta be down at the port dock's in an hour to get Ziva" Tony said.

Jimmy nodded "I know, Dr Brine, is printing them off now, he'll be here as soon as he can"

Sure enough, 2 minutes later Dr Brine walked in "Sorry Tony, Sunday always seems to be breakdown day"

"How's it look?" Jimmy asked.

"Let's have a look now" Brine replied "have you got his previous ones"

Jimmy nodded &amp; put up a set of his last lot of x-rays. Brine put up the ones from today, the two of them stood there comparing them.

"Well" Tony asked.

"I have to say, your lungs seem to be slightly improving, which is good" Brine commented.

"Wouldn't have thought it would start to heal after all these years" Jimmy commented, all his previous x-rays had never really shown any kind of healing.

"Me either, but I've never really had a patient before that had had the plague." Brine replied.

"Yea, certainly one of a kind, this area seems to have healed more than the rest" Jimmy replied.

"You're right, maybe the system will try healing one section at time, I'll have to do some consulting" Brine replied.

"Hello" Tony said, they were having a two way conversation about him "So? Healing that's good a thing right?"

"Sorry Tony" Jimmy replied "yes, it's a good thing"

"There's still a way to go, lots of healing to come, but it's a step in the right direction" Brine added.

"Ok" Tony he was definitely happy about that "so my throat?"

Brine approached Tony "now that I'm comfortable with the conditions of your lungs, I'm feeling a lot more confident that all you've got is minor case of tonsillitis, there's some minor swelling &amp; inflammation, but nothing too concerning. I'll give you some antibiotics so it should do the trick, especially as you don't really have a temperature, which is a good thing" he finished while checking his throat again.

"Thanks" Tony replied, glad to hear it was nothing serious, all this lung talk &amp; the waiting had made him nervous "can I go now?"

Brine pulled back a step &amp; looked him squarely in the eye "Under some conditions, you assure me that you take your antibiotics religiously every day. You come to me or Jimmy the instant you feel it getting worse &amp; I want to you to undergo a check up in a few days, either Jimmy or myself can do that."

Tony nodded "ok, I can handle that"

"One more thing Tony &amp; this will be the kicker, but given the condition of your throat, I'm going to ask you to refrain from well, kissing. Your throat needs to rest, so go easy on the vocal cords too"

Tony looked at him horrified "what?"

Jimmy knew this would a hard pill for him to take, but Dr Brine was right "Sorry Tony, but he's right, should only need a few days to calm down"

Tony groaned, why why why?

Brine looked at Jimmy glad to have the backup "Jimmy's right only a few days, see Jimmy or myself say, day after tomorrow, that will be 3 doses of the antibiotic &amp; should hopefully do the trick"

Tony slumped in defeat "fine, no kissing until cleared"

Brine smirked "I'd hope so, cause if I find out you haven't kept to your part of the deal, you wont be the one I'm calling"

Tony &amp; Jimmy both shared a look of understanding, he'd call Shannon.

Tony looked back to the doc "message received Doc"

"Good, now I'm sure you have somewhere to be. So take this prescription &amp; go enjoy your day" Brine said handing him the piece of paper.

"Thanks Doc" Tony replied.

Jimmy bided farewell as well &amp; followed Tony, after picking up his prescription they head off "only a few days Tony"

* * *

Tony stood on the pier, the Sea Hawk had dropped anchor at 07:00, and given she wasn't technically crew, she was going to be allowed off on the first boat launch, set for 10:30, it was that time now &amp; he couldn't wait to see her! He hated that they couldn't kiss, but at least she'd be home with him &amp; they could still snuggle.

A few minutes later he saw the boat arrive, then he saw her, he headed to meet her straight away.

"Hey there" Tony greeted as she came off the boat.

Ziva smiled "Hello" it had been such a long few weeks!

Tony took her bags &amp; led her away from the hustle of the disembarkation area, finding a quiet area he put the bags down &amp; brought her into hug "hi"

Ziva smiled as she was both enveloped into a hug &amp; returned it "hi back" she had missed him, more than she thought she thought she would, it was testament to how good things we going for them.

Coming out of the tight embrace Ziva looked up &amp; went to kiss, Tony groaned &amp; pulled back "can't Zi"

Ziva looked at him really confused "why?"

"Minor tonsillitis, Doc's Palmer &amp; Brine have given clear instructions, no kissing for a few days &amp; they want me to rest my vocals" Tony explained.

"Tonsillitis? Are you ok? Should you not be in bed?" Ziva asked concerned, she went to touch his forehead straight away.

"I'm fine, no temperature, just came from getting a full body check up at the base hospital, it's just some minor inflammation, was given antibiotics, don't need to be confined to bed, but maybe in a few days I might need it" Tony answered with a grin.

Ziva smiled "well, I am exhausted, so I think we should go home &amp; we can both get some rest, maybe we should skip the game"

Tony's eyes widened "We can't miss the game!"

"Tony, he's not even playing, I think he will understand" Ziva replied as they headed for the car, even though Nix hadn't made the bench, they'd all gone to the games to show support.

Tony suddenly realised she didn't know, he grinned "He is! He's on the bench, we're going!"

Ziva stopped dead in her tracks "He's made the bench? For tonights game? are you serious?" she was not expecting that!

Tony just grinned &amp; nodded.

"Guess we can't miss it then" Ziva replied.

Tony knew one other piece of information she didn't know yet, Zuse! He wanted to see her facial expression "you remember that case with the gas leak at the school at Quantico, where a young girl got kidnapped &amp; it turned out the grandfather was some former super spy &amp; he got in the way?"

"Yes" Ziva replied, why bring that up now?

"You remember those interns we had with us on the case?" Tony asked.

"Yes, but where are you going with this?" Ziva asked.

Tony just smiled "remember the kid we had, that rich kid who did it just to fill his public relations criteria?"

"Yes, his name was Conrad Zuse &amp; if you don't tell me why we are talking about this I will head slap you!" Ziva was seriously wondering why they were talking this all.

Tony stopped &amp; turned to her the grin was massive "Conrad Zuse is now the NCIS probationary agent of Team DiNozzo"

Ziva stared at him dumbfounded "He what?"

"He's the team's new probie" Tony grinned.

"Since when?" Ziva asked, had she missed that much?

"Friday, at the SSA meeting, Tristan assigned him, Wu's also been given a probie, cause of all the TA's we do" Tony explained.

"Go away for a few weeks &amp; everything changes!" Ziva muttered as they got to the car.

* * *

"They should put him on!" Gibbs said, he was frustrated.

"You won't hear an argument from me Jethro, but I'm not the coach!" Shannon replied, it was the 50th minute, and the team weren't playing well, they just couldn't create any chances, they were really feeling the loss of Christof, the striker that had made the step up to the first team about a month ago. Not to mention Trivola, the striker who was out with an injury for another few weeks. They really should put her son on, not that she was biased, but they needed a spark!

"This is ridiculous!" Kelly sighed, it was the 60th minute now, only 30 to go &amp; the other team were outplaying Napoli entirely, she was shocked it was still only 1-0, and that was in large part to great game the Napoli keeper - Medez - was having.

"Put on Gibbs!" Tony yelled.

Shannon, Ziva &amp; Jimmy all shot him a look, none liked that he had yelled.

Tony swallowed "sorry" he whispered.

Tim could see that not only Kelly was getting annoyed, but all of them were, each of them &amp; him included had gotten to understand the rules of the game very quickly &amp; they'd all gotten heatedly involved, sometimes their ventings matched those of the locals &amp; that said something! Because these locals seemed to let rip at every kick, every call. His gaze wandered to the end of the pitch where the Napoli substitutes were warming up &amp; his eyes widened, all of them were still there, except one! "He's heading back!" Nix was walking back towards the bench, could he be going on?

Shannon watched her son head towards the bench, then her heart leapt, he was striping off his training jumper, he was going on! She took hold of her husband's hand "On my g-d!" this was a little overwhelming.

"Here we go" Gibbs whispered, he was feeling just the same, it was overwhelming to say the least! He put an arm around his girl's shoulder's, who was sitting next to him "ever thought you'd see the day?" he asked quietly.

Kelly flashed a look at her dad as she leaned into him "honestly, not in a million years. This is cereal!" this was overwhelming, she had no idea how'd she go if he got up to the first team. As she leaned into her dad she interlocked her hand with Tim's "it's kinda scary"

Tim smiled at Kelly's actions, he took a firm hold of her hand. He knew how Kelly felt about him, he also knew that she'd always be her dad's daughter &amp; had no issue 'sharing', it made her happy, and that's all he wanted.

"Yeap, sure is" Gibbs agreed, he was nervous as anything.

* * *

"It's fucked!" Nix growled pacing through the living room.

Shannon just sighed, she'd let the language pass, he clearly needed to vent, it was a horrible situation. She felt so bad for her son. She also knew if she enforced the jar &amp; its rules then there'd be a line outside the bathroom, her entire family &amp; the team, they'd all let loose, so it wasn't really appropriate in this situation.

"It wasn't offside! and I didn't handball the bloody ball!" Nix vented.

Gibbs just watched his son pace, he had to admit he was angry as well.

"The ref was blind! He was no where near close enough to make that call!" Nix vented as he kept pacing.

Kelly had sat down on the couch &amp; watched her brother, she had to admit she'd done her share of yelling at the referee, he was blind!

"How the hell could he disallow the goal &amp; send me off! It's fucked!" Nix yelled.

Gibbs &amp; Shannon shared a look, they had to agree, they had no idea how the referee viewed his goal as not only off-side, but that he'd hand-balled the ball. The big screen had shown the instant reply &amp; it had shown that neither of those calls had been right.

Jack was feeling helpless as he watched his grandson pace &amp; vent his frustrations &amp; anger at what had happened, it was not a good way to start his playing career.

"It's fucked!" Nix yelled, he was so damn angry, so frustrated, so pissed off!

"Fubar" Kelly agreed, it was most certainly Fubar - Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition!

Gibbs walked up to his son &amp; took him by the shoulders "I know, it's not right, the ref screwed up, but there's nothing we can do about it right now."

Shannon approached "Darling, it's not right &amp; the coach said they'd appeal the red card, but dad's right, there's nothing we can do about it right now" the red card meant instant suspension from the next game &amp; there was even a chance of the suspension being for more than one game.

"Kell should sue the bastard!" Nix vented.

Kelly grinned "I can do that! Be glad to!"

Gibbs let out a smirk "if the appeal doesn't go through we can consider it"

"Maybe" Shannon agreed, but shot her husband a wry look.

"It was my first appearance! My very first, how could that happen!" Nix choked out as he collapsed down onto the couch, he'd only ever been sent off once before &amp; it had been years since it happened.

Shannon sat down with him straight away "darling, I know it hurts, we're all hurting. But you know what?"

Nix looked up to his mum, he'd buried his head into his hands "what?"

"I'm proud of the way you handled it, you were a lot more restrained than I was expecting, you were professional about it, mostly. That couldn't have been easy" Shannon remarked, after his initial outburst at the referee, he just walked off the pitch, all the others players were ranting &amp; raving for minutes, but not him, he just let it out once &amp; then left the field.

"That's cause I was in a state of shock!" Nix replied "I think Vincenzo learnt some knew english in the locker room" he'd been in shock at being sent off, but that wore off once he got to the locker room &amp; he let loose with the only person in the room &amp; that was the assistant team manager.

Shannon's eyes widened "Phoenix!"

"At least he did it off the field" Kelly commented, sharing a smirk with her brother.

Jack had to smile "must say Kell makes a valid point, I don't imagine that would have been wise, best he did it away from prying eyes" sharing a knowing look with his grandson, he had to admit, he was angry at the referee, how dare the man get it so wrong!

"This family is all the same, where did I go wrong!" Shannon laughed, she wanted to try to lighten the mood.

"Your own fault, you said yes" Gibbs grinned, he was sitting on the other side of his son to where his wife was &amp; knew what she was trying to do.

Shannon grinned "you asked!"

The pair grinned again &amp; leaned across their boy to kiss.

Nix had no choice but to lean as far forward as possible "can you two get a room?" he laughed, it felt good to laugh. He was however used to being stuck in the middle but it was never that pleasant.

Gibbs &amp; Shannon pulled back, their little kiss had broken through the tense atmosphere just like they'd hope it would.

"We have one, numerous in fact" Shannon smiled.

Gibbs got an idea, yea it was close to 23:00, but none of them were going to be sleeping anytime soon "why don't we grab some ice cream &amp; cookies &amp; go work on some stuff in the garage?" he knew that if he got his son working on his project, it would take his mind off the game &amp; would allow him to relax in order to sleep.

Nix nodded "ok, but can I have some tuna pie with extra cheese too, still hungry" he already had a bit to eat at the club, but he was still hungry. The hours after a match he was always starving &amp; could splurge on some of the more fatty foods, because their bodies had used so much energy, their systems were still burning off fat. He'd loved dinners after he'd played in "full on" training games.

Shannon smiled "of course darling, why don't you, dad &amp; gramps go in &amp; start. Kells &amp; I will sort the food"

Kelly followed her mum into the kitchen "I'm going to sue him!"

Shannon looked at her daughter "Like dad said, we'll wait for the appeal process, but maybe we should send him a pair of glasses" she finished with a smirk.

* * *

**A/N: Poor Poor Poor Nix! That's definitely not a good way to start a career! As for Tony, that poor guy can't catch a break! **

**Can Kelly help her brother out? How will Tony go keeping to conditions the Doc set for him? Especially the kissing &amp; dare I say rule with resting his vocal cords? That may be harder to do especially when he gets some unexpected visitors turn up at a crime scene!**

**More to come, but may be a few days away.. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: To all those who celebrate Christmas, I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas! To all those celebrate Chanukah, I hope the 8 days was enlightening &amp; joyous! To Everyone else, may you be happy as you celebrate life! It's a very precious thing!**

**To momsboys: thank you so much, I'm so glad you're enjoying this story!**

**To all my recent followers/favourites, welcome aboard! To my reviewers, thank you! You rock.. now, let's see what awaits the team on a new case..**

* * *

Tristan saw Gibbs walking up the stairs towards their offices "Morning Gibbs, how's your son doing? How are you doing?"

Gibbs sighed, he'd barely gotten any sleep, they'd all been too worked up to go to bed "Morning, well, he's angry, annoyed, pissed off, upset, depressed &amp; we are right there with him!" he was still fuming.

Tristan let out a sad smile, she hadn't been able to get to the game, but she'd heard all about it "I can understand that. It seems to be the talk of the building, everyone I think is sharing your feelings, can the club appeal or anything?"

"They're looking at the options today, normally it would mean an automatic 1 match suspension &amp; maybe more, so they're going to try to appeal the charges, Nix has headed in this morning for a recovery session, after that they'll have a meeting about it." Gibbs answered.

"I'm sure Kelly has offered her assistance" Tristan smiled.

Gibbs smirked "She wants to sue the referee, the Italian Referee's Association for employing a blind man, the Italian Football Association for allowing the Referee's Association to employee him, so yes, she wants to help"

Tristan laughed "I'm sure she would succeed with some of that at least"

Gibbs grinned "I have no doubt" he had to admit, a lawyer in the family was a good thing!

Tristan nodded &amp; made a move to head to her office but was stopped.

Gibbs held her back, there was something he needed run past her "Nix is having a hard time focusing on anything else &amp; his mood leaves something to be desired. Shannon is showing my dad around today, so they won't be home much. I've told Nix to come here as soon as he's done at the club, he's gotta get on with his college stuff, so I'd like to set him up in my office to make sure he does that" he knew that wasn't really normal protocol, but he needed to keep an eye on him.

Tristan smiled, he really was a good dad "I'd do the same but just as long as he watches his mood around everyone, can't have him mouthing off left right &amp; centre"

"Trust me, he knows when &amp; where he needs to watch that" Gibbs replied, one thing he knew was that having his son here at NCIS would keep him in check, because he knew how to behave here &amp; if he didn't then he'd call his son on it.

"Then that's fine Gibbs" Tristan smiled, but all of a sudden both their cells went crazy with messages - it was dispatch.

Gibbs checked his &amp; dialled dispatch back "what you got?"

Tristan waited for Gibbs to finish, she could there was more than one thing "well?"

"Give the Post Office job to DiNozzo &amp; Wu the assault" Gibbs said to the dispatcher, he turned to Tristan "It's begun, the base post office has had a break in, Local LEO's are holding 2 sailors on assault charges too" he replied

Tristan shook her head "you know sometimes I wish we didn't have to run the navy with so many sailors &amp; marines"

Gibbs smirked "it would simplify things"

* * *

"Still can't believe he got sent off!" Tim vented, it was just soo wrong! Nix had scored such a great goal, it wasn't offside &amp; he definitely didn't handball the ball!

"It was a pathetic call! That ref should be fired!" Silva added.

Jonas leaned over the divider "I say we find out where he lives!"

Wu looked up "Jonas! Sit down! We aren't going to hunt him down. I suggest you do something more constructive with your time" he took a breath "like finding the nearest optometrist, then you can send the details to referee's ruling body, the guy clearly needs glasses, let's help out"

Jonas grinned "with pleasure sir"

Tony couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, they were all feeling the same way. He heard his phone go, seeing it was dispatch, he wondered what it would be this time, he answered the call &amp; listened intently before hanging up. "Gear up! Base Post Office has had a break in" he called.

Tony then heard Wu call "Time to go! 2 Sailors are being held by local LEO's on assault charges"

Tony shared a look with Wu, they didn't even get a single day before the onslaught of situations came about with the added personnel in Naples.

Ziva was out doing a handover with the new Agent Afloat for the Sea Hawk but Tim &amp; Silva instantly got their gear &amp; weapon &amp; were making their way to the lift right behind Tony, but Zuse was slow on the uptake.

Tony turned, he saw Gibbs &amp; Tristan standing on the level above &amp; sighed "Zuse! Move your ass!"

Zuse swallowed, he'd been in the middle of an mandatory online tutorial about safety matters at NSA Naples when Tony had given them the command &amp; had been slow off the mark to get up "coming sir"

Tony could have sworn he'd seen a smirk on Gibbs's face, he shot him a glare.

Gibbs just raised his eyebrow in response, he grabbed his phone &amp; texted Tony 'he's your probie, not mine. Train him to heel, just like I did!''

Tony read the text &amp; stared at it wide eyed, he shot a look up to his boss.

"Get going DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, this was going to be fun to watch!

Tony smirked "On it boss!" he replied, yea, guess he had been trained to heel &amp; now it was his turn to do the training, he grinned.

Tony entered the lift &amp; looked Zuse squarely in the eyes "when I say gear up, you drop everything, gear up &amp; start moving. There's no delay!"

Zuse nodded "yes sir" he thought Gibbs had been an hard arse, but Tony was pretty tough himself!

Tim smirked, they'd all learnt that the hard way with Gibbs, he was glad Tony wasn't going to give Zuse any lighter treatment.

* * *

"What 'ave we got?" Tony asked.

"Employees found the back door busted open when they arrived this morning, the safe that held what small money they kept on sight was broken into, security system was disabled around 01:00" Tim reported.

Silva took over "Some of the mail has been opened, will take a while to see if there's any pattern to what they opened, it may be random, may not. But so far, it looks like only outgoing mail was targeted"

"How much money was taken?" Tony asked.

"Ahh, employees think around a thousand dollars, they're just trying to get us a more accurate figure as we speak" Tim answered "It's not a lot of money, you'd get more breaking into one of the base clubs"

"Maybe it wasn't about the money then, maybe it was the mail." Tony replied he turned to Silva "you said it was all outgoing mail?"

"Yes sir" Silva answered "Zuse is packing it all for transport, maybe we can get some prints off the envelopes &amp; find a common denominator"

Tony nodded "get it packed &amp; over to the NATO labs, let them see what they can find, take Zuse. We can then look for patterns" he instructed Silva.

"Yes sir" Silva agreed &amp; moved away.

Tony saw Tim was back at the back door "anything?"

"Nope, wiped clean, no prints here or anywhere, they must have used gloves. What you thinking?" Tim asked.

Tony considered it "Why steel or go through the mail? I mean in this day and age, snail mail is really old school, when was the last time you wrote a letter &amp; actually mailed it?"

"A while" Tim had to admit.

"Exactly! No one our age uses real mail anymore, heck even Gibbs has joined the 21st century now!" Tony smirked "whoever it was..."

"was older, much older..." Tim mused.

A light bulb hit both of them "or they were after information an older person had!"

"I must say it's fascinating watching you two work" Shannon commented.

Tony &amp; Tim snapped their attention around to her in utter shock.

Shannon smiled "The way your minds are so in sync really is something"

Tony had no idea what she was doing here "what are you doing here?" he scanned the immediate area, they had just gotten outside the Post Office.

"As you so rightly put it, post offices are used for the older generation mostly. Jack is expecting a parcel, so I came by to see if it's arrived for him" Shannon replied "What happened?"

"Break in" Tony replied "maybe you should come back later?" he suggested, knowing full well Gibbs wouldn't want her mixed up in anything of a sort, he saw that one of the employees had called for Tim &amp; he'd headed off.

"Maybe I should" Shannon agreed, but she then saw a car pull up right on the curb in front of them, with 2 men in dark suits hoping out.

Tony saw these 2 men get out &amp; instantly tensed, placing himself in front of Shannon, it was a natural protective instinct reaction, something didn't seem right.

"Mr DiNozzo?" man in suit number one asked.

"Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo, NCIS" Tony answered.

"Of course" man in suit number two smirked "Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo, we need a word"

"About?" Tony asked.

"It's a sensitive matter, we need you to come with us" man in suit number 1 answered.

"and you are?" Shannon asked, she didn't like the feel of these men one little bit.

"Agent Migel Moretti, INTERPOL" Moretti answered "and this is my partner Agent Arthur Mandel, also of INTERPOL"

Both Tony's &amp; Shannon's eyes widened INTERPOL?

"What can I do for INTERPOL?" Tony asked, what the hell do they want?

"You can come with us, we need to speak, it's sensitive &amp; confidential" Mandel answered.

"Yea well, I'm in the middle of a case right now, so unless you can give me a better reason..." Tony said.

"We have been given authority to take you by force if necessary, don't make us do that" Moretti said giving Tony a death glare.

Shannon's eyes widened, she saw Tim was standing not far away &amp; was keenly watching on, using her hand which was resting on her thigh, she tapped out G-I-B-B-S with morse code, hoping he'd get the message to call her husband.

Tim had seen the car pull up &amp; the men start to talk to Tony &amp; Shannon, but he was busy with the employees, it wasn't until he saw Tony tense further that he started to pay very close attention, he then saw Shannon tapping her hand against her thigh, he saw a pattern. He realised what it was was G-I-B-B-S in morse code.. GIBBS! He dialled his phone instantly "Boss! Need you at the Post office now! Something's not right, There's 2 men speaking with Tony &amp; your wife &amp; she just signalled me with morse code to call you!"

Gibbs had been listening to McGee &amp; he propelled himself out of his chair, what on earth was Shannon doing at the Post office? Morse code signalling? That couldn't be good! "I'll be there in 10! Nothing happens to her!"

"No boss" Tim agreed, he moved closer, he certainly wasn't going to let anything happen to her or Tony, he didn't like the look of his men, and with Silva &amp; Zuse already gone, he signalled one of the MP's who was on duty at the scene, they needed to keep an eye on these men.

Shannon was relieved when she saw Tim on the phone, she didn't know what these INTERPOL men wanted, but it was unsettling her to no end. She certainly didn't like the thought of Tony having to go anywhere with these men, without even a reason and their threat about using force was worrying her, what did these men think he'd done? He certainly would never do anything illegal or untoward.

* * *

**A/N: I hope Gibbs gets there in time! But what on earth do INTERPOL want with Tony? Can they really succeed in getting a 'private' conversation with Tony? Or will someone crash the party?**

**More up soon! You know I love hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: To those that most recently joined this ride as a follower or favourite, welcome aboard! Glad to have you with us! To all my reviewers, you all rock! I really love hearing your feedback, hearing how much you're all loving this story &amp; your opinions, really spurs me to keep writing, so thank you! I know I normally reply to you all, but tonight I am in desperate need of sleep &amp; want to get this posted, so please forgive me!**

**To answer all the comments about the INTERPOL agents all I can say that they are real agents...as for the comments about Tony's father... yea, not comment..**

**Can Gibbs get there? I think he will... so let's see what happens &amp; what Gibbs has up his sleeve to deal with them! **

* * *

It was only a very short drive, even so Gibbs had gotten there in record time, he was worried sick. He pulled his car up, double parking it in front of the mystery black sedan he presumed belonged to the 2 men he could see speaking with Tony, Tim &amp; his wife.

Tony &amp; Shannon were still staring these INTERPOL men down when Gibbs arrived &amp; both breathed sighs of relief seeing him pull up.

Gibbs marched straight over &amp; put himself between the men &amp; his wife &amp; team "and you are?" he demanded.

Agent Moretti looked him up &amp; down "Agent Moretti, INTERPOL &amp; as we've already said, we just need Agent DiNozzo here to come with us to answer some questions" showing his badge &amp; I.D.

Gibbs made sure not to show surprise at the INTERPOL remark, but what kind of questions did they have for Tony? "My Agent is leading an investigation right now, so unless you can give me further information, I wont take him off that"

"It wont take long, but the matter is confidential, we only have authority to speak with him directly, this is not an NCIS matter" Mandel asserted.

"Not good enough" Gibbs replied.

"If it's not NCS related then what is it about?" Tony asked, what on earth did they want?

Moretti looked at him, he was curious, that could help them "We can only explain in private, the matter is..."

"yea, yea, confidential... you've said that already" Tony interrupted "But I have no secrets from these people, so go ahead"

Shannon had to smile at that, she was getting even more concerned though, this wasn't work related, so what was it about?

"Afraid we can't speak to you, unless it's in private, we've been given strict instructions.. only in private, so please, if you'd come with us?" Mandel said.

"If you think I am letting him go anywhere with you without me, you are dreaming!" Gibbs asserted "you want to speak to him, you can do so at NCIS" at least that would keep them in their backyard, where they had advantage to deal with whatever it was.

Mandel shook his head "unfortunately not..."

"Ok" Moretti agreed, it drew a look from his partner "we need to speak with you urgently, so we can't keep standing here debating turf. All I will say is, we will speak to him privately, no other NCIS personnel are allowed into the room &amp; that includes you Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs &amp; I would go so far as to include your wife in that category"

Gibbs again hid his surprise at them knowing him &amp; his wife "ok" he agreed.

Tony was a little taken aback by Gibbs's ready agreement, he was going to say something but didn't get the chance.

"McGee, take DiNozzo back to HQ, now!" Gibbs ordered, he turned to the two men "you two can follow us"

"Yes boss" Tim answered pulling Tony with him, they'd already finished up processing the scene, which was a good thing.

Shannon sat down into her husbands work car "what are you up to?" he clearly had gotten a idea as to how to deal with these men from INTERPOL.

Gibbs just smiled as he started the car, he then dialled his phone.

* * *

Tony was pacing in Gibbs's office &amp; was oblivious to the fact that Gibbs had entered "what do they want? Not work related... what do they want? I haven't done anything!"

"Tony" Gibbs said trying to get attention, but he was clearly still rambling to himself too loudly to hear him, he approached his agent, a man he considered much more than that really. He was like a son, he knew he had to snap him out of it, so he gave him a quick 'tap' to the back of his head "DiNozzo"

Tony's eyes snapped up to see Gibbs "Boss, I've done nothing, I swear! I don't know what they want!"

"Relax DiNozzo, I know you haven't done anything" Gibbs said reassuring him "just see what they want &amp; we'll take it from there"

"Wish you could be there with me" Tony confessed, he'd feel so much better if he could have him with him.

Gibbs felt the same way, he didn't like that he wasn't going to be able to be there for him "Me too, but you wont be alone" he had a plan!

Before Tony could ask Gibbs what he meant a knock came on the door &amp; Tim entered "they're in the conference room boss &amp; said Tony had to go there now"

Gibbs felt his phone vibrate, he looked at it "coming inside now" he nodded, they could go now "ok, let's go"

"Boss?" Tony queried.

Gibbs held a small smile "gotta trust me Tony"

While Tony was nervous, trusting Gibbs came so naturally, so he would trust him, the man he considered a father, sometimes even more of a father than his own "I can do that"

"Good" Gibbs smiled.

Tony followed his boss towards to the conference room, as soon as he saw the INTERPOL agents his stomach gave another nervous twitch, but standing with them was Shannon, who was giving the pair glares that would rival Gibbs glare. It gave him a small lift knowing just how much she cared to be here for it, to go toe to with these men for him.

Mandel opened the door &amp; looked at Tony with clear meaning, go inside.

"Go on in DiNozzo, we'll be right outside" Gibbs said motioning his man to go in.

Tim had followed the pair to the conference room, he couldn't believe Gibbs was being so accommodating to the pair &amp; basically sent Tony into the room alone.

Agent Moretti waited until his partner &amp; Tony had gone inside "I appreciate your assistance, this wont take long"

Gibbs just nodded "Agent Moretti, let me make something crystal clear, you step over the boundary &amp; I will hold you personally accountable" he finished giving the man a death glare to show just how much he means it.

"I assure you, all we have are a few questions for your man" Moretti replied.

"Shall we get started then Agent Moretti" Kelly said brushing past him &amp; heading for the conference room door.

Moretti's eyes widened "and you are?"

Kelly had one hand on the door handle &amp; looked back to him, he was tall, very skinny with extremely thinning black hair, not a good looking man one bit "I am Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo's personal lawyer. You want to speak to him, that's fine. But I am present, or he wont say a word"

"He's not under arrest" Moretti replied.

"Don't care, you mentioned this was a non-NCIS related matter &amp; therefore it's personal for Agent DiNozzo. Given that, he is entitled to a lawyer, and that's me!" Kelly asserted, she opened the door &amp; saw Tony still standing up "Good, you haven't started talking yet Tony, I'm right on time"

Tony was startled at Kelly's appearance, but then he realised this was Gibbs's plan! He said he wouldn't be alone &amp; who better to piss off INTERPOL agents than a lawyer! "Was waiting for my lawyer" he said playing along.

Shannon smirked, Moretti looked like he was ready to explode.

"Agent Moretti my agent has things to do, so please go in &amp; get on with it" Gibbs asserted, he loved how off balanced this man now looked with the appearance of his daughter, he was starting to realise that lawyers could be very useful!

"I said alone, this doesn't require the attendance or attention of a lawyer" Moretti replied.

Tim just smiled, he'd seen Kelly make a move to come back out of the room, he was going to get schooled!

"Any person is entitled to legal counsel when in a discussion with any law enforcement agency &amp; my client is no different. He won't utter a single word without me present, Do you want to have a one way conversation? Do you want to do all the talking &amp; have my client not utter a single word, if so I can leave" Kelly replied "Oh, I have other cases going on, so if we don't get started, you'll have to come back tomorrow. Your choice, we can talk now &amp; you can tell us what my client can help you with, or you can come back when we see fit, that happens &amp; I will be forwarding my bill to your office and I doubt your superiors will appreciate my charge out rates"

Gibbs wanted to grin, but he held his firm gaze on the man, he loved that his girl was putting this guy in his place, leaving him no room to manoeuvre! Tim loved that Gibbs had obviously called Kelly, that was brilliant! Shannon knew how much her daughter cared for Tony, as soon as they'd called her she'd left her office instantly wanting to help.

Kelly watched Moretti reluctantly enter the room "wise choice Agent Moretti, now what's all this about?" she asked as she closed the door.

"Great idea boss!" Tim said as soon as the door closed.

Gibbs smirked, he had to agree "Where's Silva &amp; Zuse?"

"Ah, over at the NATO labs boss with the evidence" Tim reported.

"Get them back &amp; get Ziva here too" Gibbs ordered "something tells me this isn't going to be cut &amp; dry"

Tim nodded &amp; moved down the hall to call the troops back, if Tony needed backup, he'd make sure the whole team would be ready to give it, that was his role as Tony's 2nd after all.

"What do you think is going on?" Shannon asked.

Gibbs leaned back against the wall "Not sure, but I'm not liking this" he admitted.

The pair stood in silence for a few minutes, both wondering what conversation was taking place on the other side of the door, both wished they could be in there to help, but they relied on the fact that Kelly was with Tony, she wouldn't let them get away with anything, for starters she was a damn fine lawyer, the other was the protectiveness she felt towards him, like they all felt for each other &amp; that meant she'd fight even harder whenever required.

"Gibbs" Tristan greeted "Got your S.O.S., what's going on?"

"Not sure, INTERPOL are speaking with DiNozzo, apparently it's got nothing to do with NCIS, they demanded a private conversation with him" Gibbs said

Tristan didn't like that one bit "INTERPOL?"

"mmhhmm" Gibbs confirmed "Kelly's in there with him, as his personal lawyer"

Tristan raised an eyebrow "and I bet that went down extremely well"

"They handled it like any federal agent would..." Shannon surmised.

"So not well" Tristan said sharing a smile with Shannon.

"Not in the slightest" Shannon agreed.

Gibbs started pacing, yea his girl was in there with Tony but it still concerned him. His gut was telling him that whatever the reason was it wasn't good, not one little bit. He tried to prepare himself for what ever it was,..

* * *

**A/N: Hmmm... this isn't looking good! But at least Kelly is in there with him! She'll keep them from going too far! But what on earth do they want?!**

**How exactly will Kelly handle it? How will Ziva handle the aftermath? And who exactly is next on the list of people they'll need to speak with?**

**More up soon! Remember, I alway love hearing your thoughts, so review away! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: To all my followers/favourites, welcome aboard, thanks for joining this ride! To my reviewers, you all rock! I really love hearing all your thoughts/comments, they spur me to keep writing! So keep 'em coming!**

**To Guest Reviewers, because I can't PM you:**

**momsboys: thanks so much, glad you're loving this, here's another chapter**

**Guest: whats going on? Well, we find out how people feel... but what is really going, that will still a short while to come to the fore.**

**CookieSprinkles: I like your videolink idea! But that won't be happening for this conversation.. maybe a future one though!**

**Shall we see how things are going? How will that conversation go? What will Kelly's reaction be? How will Tony cope? Ziva? Let's find out...**

* * *

Shannon wasn't sure how long it had been, but Ziva, Silva &amp; Zuse were all back &amp; waiting with the rest of them, they had just caught them up on what was going on.

Gibbs tensed as soon as he heard raised voices, and it sounded like his daughter's, he just couldn't work out what she was saying, he took a breath trying to stop himself from entering the room when he saw the conference room door handle move..

Moretti followed Mandel out out the room before turning back to speak "Thank you for your time Ms Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo"

Kelly eyed him &amp; his partner as she followed them out "Might I make a suggestion?" she asked closing the door behind her, Tony needed time &amp; she really didn't want him to hear what she was going to say next, he was dealing with enough, she was trying to get herself back under control, she couldn't begin to understand how he was coping.

Mandel looked at her "and that would be?"

"Leave this building before I do something I'll regret &amp; you'll be sorry for! You should be glad for these for witnesses! Get out!" Kelly barked, she utterly furious with these agents!

Gibbs eyes widened, he was certain he wasn't alone in the shock, he placed himself toe to toe with Moretti, his girl was clearly pissed off &amp; he didn't care why, he'd back her up "you heard her"

Moretti ignored Gibbs &amp; looked at Kelly "I trust you will notify us if..."

"Get out! You've said enough &amp; I've already told you how I feel about the way you handled it, so unless you want me to show you how I feel, which I'd gladly do, leave!" Kelly asserted. Her ability to maintain self control was failing her, majorly!

Tim had put himself alongside Gibbs &amp; toe to toe with Mandel, just staring him down, he didn't like that these agents had upset her so much &amp; he worried what had transpired &amp; how Tony was too!

Tristan saw how upset Kelly was &amp; also how tense the situation was now, she was concerned with everything Kelly had said, clearly what ever had transpired in the conference room wasn't good "Agent Silva, could you &amp; Agent Zuse please escort these gentleman out of the building. If they give you any trouble, you have my permission to _'help them'_ out"

Silva nodded "Yes ma'am" she eyed the men "after you two" she'd see these men out &amp; kinda hoped they put up resistance, she'd love nothing more than to 'help' them. From the way Kelly was behaving there was obviously something terrible going on &amp; she didn't like that, she hadn't known Tony &amp; the team for very long, but she respected her SSA a great deal, so she'd back him up with what ever she had to.

Shannon had been totally shocked at Kelly's outbursts, she watched as the INTERPOL agents left with Silva &amp; Zuse, once they were clear she turned to her daughter "Kelly?"

Kelly tried to take deep breath to calm herself but it was impossible! "I know you don't approve of foul language mum, but those two men are fucking dickheads! They deserve to be keel hauled for what they just did!" yea, she was so utterly furious! She just couldn't hold it back any longer.

Shannon stared at her daughter in shock "I'm sure they may not be pleasant..."

Kelly interrupted her "Mum, when you find out what they did... trust me, you'll feel the same way, you'd likely want to ready the catapult!" she looked to her dad who she could see was also a little surprised at her outburst "and you will likely want to track them back down &amp; shoot them!" she gazed over to Tim &amp; Ziva, who was she kidding "you'd all want to shoot them!"

"I can get them back" Tim suggested, he didn't care what was going, the pure face that she was feeling like she did made him want to shoot them just for that.

Kelly smirked "I know where to find them, and if I have to see them anytime in the near future..." she didn't even want to say what she was thinking, she shook her head, she needed to think straight, Tony needed her on her game, not on those morons! She took another calming breath "I'll be right back" she finished before heading back into the room.

Ziva was really concerned, what was going on? she wanted to go in to see Tony, he was obviously dealing with something, she wanted to help him. It took a good 10 minutes and as soon as Kelly came back out she jumped onto her "what is going on Kelly?"

Kelly looked at Ziva, this wasn't going to be easy for her to hear "I can't say at the moment Ziva, Tony just needs some time" she saw Ziva move to go into the room "Sorry Ziva, but he doesn't want you with him at the moment" she took a breath "he's asked for mum to sit with him"

"Why?" Ziva asked, feeling very hurt.

Kelly knew it had hurt Ziva &amp; it hurt her to say it "because right now, he just needs... well, he just needs a mum. His world has been turned completely upside down &amp; he needs..."

"Then I should be with him" Ziva insisted interrupting her, she was his partner, and she didn't mean work partner, she should be the one to help him, sooth him, not Shannon.

"Ziva I'm not disagreeing with you" Kelly said, she understood where she was coming from, she'd feel the same way if Tim was in Tony's position "but right now, this is about what Tony needs, and he asked for mum, he just needs... a mum" she knew Tony considered her mum to be like a mum to him too, and right now even more so that his own. "I know that you want to help, so does he, but right now..."

"He needs a mother, you have said that already" Ziva bit back.

Kelly sighed "Ziva, I can totally understand how much it must hurt, but I know you want what's best for Tony, that's all you want &amp; we all have to put that first in our thoughts &amp; actions, it will be the only way to get him through this, Tony will need you, I assure you &amp; I do need your help with something"

Shannon could see the pain on Ziva's face, she didn't want to step on the woman's toes, but if Tony wanted her, she'd be there for him. Kelly was right, Tony's needs had to come first.

Kelly looked at her mum "can you sit with him? I've gotta make a few calls &amp; will come back as soon as I can"

Shannon nodded, she felt horrible for going in in front of Ziva, but she headed in none the less.

The sight that Shannon saw broke her heart, Tony was curled up on the floor in the corner of the room, his knees were drawn to his chest, his head was buried into his knees &amp; his arms were wrapped around his legs, he was shaking! What on earth had happened? What had those agents said to him?

She sat down next to Tony &amp; put an arm around him "Shh Tony, we'll get through it"

It took a moment, but Tony soon fell into Shannon's hold &amp; started crying, her heart was breaking as she listened to Tony cry, it wasn't adult sobbing, it was full blown crying, she wrapped both of her arms around him, just cradling him, like she'd done with her kids so many times "ohh Tony, my boy, it'll be ok, we'll get through it. I'm right here my boy" in this moment her motherly love for the man came to the fore in spades, and she'd do whatever she had to help a man that she really considered a son through whatever had just befallen him.

* * *

Gibbs could see how hurt Ziva was by Kelly saying Tony had wanted Shannon &amp; not her "can you tell us what's going on? At all?"

Kelly sighed "not right now, I need to a make a few calls, clarify a few things. I have to call my office back in DC &amp; set a few things in motion"

"If you need to arrange it on a secure line, just let me know. We can feed it through MTAC" Tristan offered, something gave her the feeling this wasn't something small or simple.

"Thank you ma'am, that would be appreciated" Kelly agreed, it would be a lot easier to do that conversation over a secure video feed.

Tim could see that she was still really tense, he also saw how Ziva was coping, or lack there of "you said you needed something? What can we do?"

Kelly wasn't sure how they'd take it, but there was something she needed help with "yea, I need you to find someone"

"Who?" Ziva asked.

"Tony's father" Kelly answered.

Gibbs, Ziva &amp; Tim all looked at her in shock!

"Why do we have to find Tony's father?" Ziva asked.

"I can't say right now, but we just need to find him" Kelly answered, she hated keeping things a secret from them &amp; this one was especially hard, but it's what Tony wanted &amp; right now him &amp; his needs was all Kelly was concerning herself with.

* * *

**A/N: Ohh NO! What on earth did those pesky INTERPOL Agents say to Tony? And why do they need to find Senior?**

**Where will they find Senior? How will Tony cope with that news? And how will Ziva handle not being in there with Tony? **

**More up soon! You know I love hearing your comments, so review away!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Happy New Year Folks! Here's hoping everyone had a great festive period &amp; is ready for a brand new year! To my newest followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard! I love seeing those numbers climb &amp; to have it climb for the sequel, wow! I'm just chuffed! To my dearest reviewers, well, you all rock! Thank you!**

**Now, how's Tony doing? And where exactly will they find Senior? Let's find out...**

* * *

Kelly watched as Tim pulled Ziva down the hall back to the bullpen, he promised they'd find where Senior was, she felt though 2 people staring at her, sighing she turned to her dad &amp; Tristan "I wish I could tell you, but I can't, at least not yet"

"Would I be correct in saying that this isn't a simple matter?" Tristan asked.

"Very much so ma'am, this is intense, complicated &amp; will likely take a while to sort out, so that investigation they were on..." Kelly started.

"I'll pass it to another team Kells" Gibbs interrupted her.

"I can do that for you Gibbs, Donnelly?" Tristan asked, she drew a nod, and headed off, realising it best to maybe leave the pair alone for a private word.

"Does he need anything else?" Gibbs asked, Tony was obviously dealing with a lot &amp; it pained him that he couldn't help.

"Right now, he just needs to know that his world hasn't completely shattered &amp; that he's still cared for, hence mum being in there" Kelly said, she couldn't tell her dad, but she hoped that was enough to give him some kind of a clue.

Gibbs didn't like that answer "what did Senior do Kells?"

Kelly sighed "dad, I can't say, so please don't push me"

Gibbs saw how hard this had affected her "ok angel, no more pushing, can I do anything for you?"

"Coffee? I'm pretty tired from our lack of sleep last night &amp; Tony will need us all to have our best game faces on" Kelly answered.

"That I can do" Gibbs nodded, he took her under his arm "let's get you set up in MTAC"

* * *

Ziva was frustrated, she should be in there with Tony, she loved him, why did he want Shannon? Why did they have to find Senior? What was going on? She was annoyed that Kelly wouldn't share.

Tim saw that Ziva was basically just sitting in her seat not doing anything, he got up "Don't forget, check flight manifests, hotels, credit card accounts" he said towards Silva &amp; Zuse and was glad when he saw nods of understanding.

"Ziva" Tim said gently.

"What?" Ziva asked.

"You can't blame her for keeping you out" Tim said gently.

"Of course you'd defend her McGee" Ziva muttered.

"This isn't about me defending her" Tim retorted gently "she has information we don't, she knows what's going on, we don't"

"because she wont tell us" Ziva replied.

"She can't" Tim said simply "She wants to, believe me, she wants to, but she took an oath when she became a lawyer to keep things confidential in relation to matters with her clients &amp; this is like that. It's an oath she takes very seriously"

"Tony isn't a client, he's part of our family" Ziva replied.

"Which makes this harder on her for keeping the matter confidential" Tim said, he'd seen it all over face how hard it was to not tell them "what ever it is, is obviously something major, and she's obviously spoken to Tony about it &amp; she's acting on what he wants &amp; his needs. We just need to be there for him &amp; when he's ready he'll tell us what's going on, I have no doubt about that"

"I am just...upset that he does not want me, he wants Shannon, not me, I should be in there with him" Ziva finally admitted.

Tim knew that was the real issue "I can understand that, Kelly said she understood it as well."

"So I should..." Ziva started to say

Silva had looked over, she could hear the discussion &amp; wanted to help "Ziva, sometimes a parent's shoulder is easier to cry on than a partner's. Sometimes, it's easier to cry into the arms of a mother or father &amp; just know that you're safe, secure &amp; loved unconditionally, it allows a safe place to get the emotions out" she knew how close they all were &amp; that Tony saw Shannon as mother figure.

Tim was glad Silva had jumped in, it was exactly what he was thinking, though if he had said it, it wouldn't have come out so well.

"And I care for him unconditionally" Ziva replied, she didn't want to tell them that she loved him unconditionally.

"I'm not saying you don't, all I'm saying is that in tough times, it can be easier to release emotions with a parent than a partner. I know that from experience." Silva replied.

Tim nodded "I agree, doesn't mean Tony loves you any less"

"He doesn't Ziva" Kelly confirmed coming into the bullpen "and he's going to need **you** more than ever, he'll need everyone's help"

"Ahh, sorry to interrupt" Zuse said "but I think I've found him"

"Where?" Kelly, Ziva, Tim &amp; Silva all asked.

"On a flight here" Zuse replied.

Tim could see the surprise in the others, he decided to take charge "When does it land?"

"In 3 hours" Zuse replied.

"Ok, check hotels, car rentals, limo services. Let's find out where he's staying" Tim replied.

"I didn't know he was coming" Ziva whispered.

Kelly saw Ziva was hurt by this "Neither did Tony Ziva, last he knew Senior was still in New York" she was though seriously concerned, why was he coming, now of all times? Did he know something? Had he been contacted? Ohh.. this could be bad!

That made Ziva feel better, she wondered though why he was coming here?

"Kell, your call's come through" Gibbs said from the level above.

Kelly looked &amp; nodded, reaching the level above "Thanks, Senior is actually on his way here, will be here in 3 hours. Tim &amp; the others are trying to see where he's staying &amp; all that. Tony had no idea he was coming" she'd have to be quick with her call, she needed to give him some warning.

"Could it have anything do to with...?" Gibbs asked.

Kelly thought about it "It could, but I don't think so, if it does though... I don't really want to go there!" the more she thought about it, it didn't really make sense.. but maybe..

Gibbs watched his girl head into MTAC &amp; promptly took himself down the stairs "What have we got?"

* * *

Kelly headed down the hall, she'd checked her watch, it was going to be roughly 2 hours before Senior arrived, they'd worked out he was staying at the Piazza Bellini, right in the centre of Naples, trick was he'd booked the room for 2 people. She honestly didn't know how Tony was going to take the news, the conversation with her DC office had taken slightly longer than she wanted, but they ploughed whatever they could, there was a lot to do &amp; now, she just hoped she could get further details to help, but it was going to be tricky.

She carefully opened the door to the conference room &amp; saw Tony sitting on the floor at the far corner, he was buried into her mum, she could see her mum's gaze now on her as she approached. He looked horrible, her fury towards those agents rose again, they really were thoughtless heartless people!

Shannon watched as her daughter crouched down in front of them, on the one hand she would have preferred to have been outside, at least then she might know what was going on. Tony hadn't uttered a word, and he'd just stopped crying, her heart had been breaking over &amp; over for him."Tony" she whispered into him.

Kelly saw Tony look up &amp; then meet her gaze "we need to have a quick chat, ok?"

Tony nodded, but remained silent, he was still trying to believe everything.

"I've spoken with my office back in DC &amp; our investigators will get going looking into it all, they're among the best in the business, they'll use what information we have &amp; go from there, we'll figure this all out, ok?" Kelly started.

Tony again just nodded, glad to hear it.

Shannon's wondered why on earth they'd have to engage Kelly's office investigator team, what had happened?

Kelly took a deep breath, this would be the tough one "We've found where Senior is... he's on a flight headed here, he'll be here in 2 hours"

Tony's eyes widened in utter shock, why was his dad headed here? now of all times?

Shannon saw shock on Tony's face "you didn't know he was coming?"

Tony shook his head, he still couldn't speak.

"As far as we can tell he's staying at a hotel in the city centre &amp; he's... booked the room for 2 people" Kelly finished a little hesitantly.

Tony was confused, something came to him "She's not..." he whispered.

"I doubt it" Kelly answered straight away "I checked the flight manifest myself &amp; she's not on it, not sure who he's travelling with"

Shannon wondered who they were talking about, obviously a lady, but who? She wanted to ask, but thought better of it.

"Tim's also checked &amp; it doesn't look like he's booked any pickup services. This call is up to you. If you want, we can get someone to meet him as soon as he lands &amp; bring him straight here, or we can get him later from his hotel, give you more time, whatever you want Tony" Kelly explained "we can bring or not bring whoever he's travelling with, that's up to you, but I think we need to do it sooner rather than later INTERPOL may..." she added, INTERPOL will probably want to speak to him too.

Tony would have preferred more time to get his head around everything, but he also wanted to know if it was really true, it was the lack of confirmation that finally made the decision for him "now, alone" he whispered.

Kelly got what he meant "ok, we'll get someone to collect him &amp; bring him here, alone"

Kelly wished she could have finished the chat there, but there was more "do you want to speak to him alone? Or do you want someone with you? Ziva? Me? Mum? Dad? Whoever you want will be here for you"

Shannon nodded "whatever you need Tony"

Tony thought about it for a moment before looking to Shannon "you &amp; Gibbs"

Shannon smiled "then we will be with you Tony, in whatever capacity you need" she'd never met Tony's father before &amp; now realised their first meeting wasn't exactly going to peachy, but if Tony wanted her &amp; her husband there for him, then that's what she'd, they'd do.

"Ok, I'll go organise it" Kelly agreed "do you want Tim &amp; Ziva to get him or someone else?" she didn't know if he wanted anyone close to him to retrieve him or not.

"Someone else, not them, not my team" Tony said, he didn't want him team anywhere near him "don't want them near him"

Shannon was now really concerned, what on earth had the man done to Tony?

Kelly understood "ok, I'll get dad to organise another pair of agents to get him &amp; bring him here"

Tony nodded "thanks"

"Tony, look at me" Kelly said, she continued when their eyes met "you don't have to thank me, **we are a family** &amp; we do whatever is necessary for our family, no thanks required, got it?"

Shannon smiled at her daughter comments "we certainly are a family &amp; Kelly's right, we do what we have to do without any thanks required mister"

Tony smiled, gosh right now, right at this very minute, all he could think about was why couldn't his mum have been Shannon? he rested his head back on her shoulder &amp; loved that she again put her arm around his shoulder. He was loved &amp; cared for but a true family, by a parent "thanks" he whispered.

Shannon felt him fall back into her &amp; took hold of him again, she was seriously concerned as to what was going on, but knew that when he was ready he would tell her "Tony my boy, you'll get through it, we'll help you through it. You're not alone in this, we are right here with you &amp; wont allow you to crumble. I love you too much to let that happen"

Kelly cringed, hoping that wouldn't cause a reaction, but she dropped her head when she heard a small sob emanate from Tony.

Shannon wasn't sure why her daughter had cringed, until she heard it, Tony had started crying again, she seriously needed to know what was going on! A simple statement of love had brought the man to tears! She looked to her daughter &amp; mouthed _'what is going on?'_

Kelly sighed _'family issues, big ones'_ she mouthed back. It was all she could say, she motioned that she was going to head out.

Shannon just held Tony as she watched her daughter leave "shh" she soothed, trying to comfort him for something she didn't even know about.

* * *

**A/N: Tony's really not coping at all :( But maybe Silva had managed to calm Ziva down? **

**But what has Tony so upset? And why exactly is Senior coming to Naples without prior notice? These answers will be revealed next, well, mostly... lol sorry! How will Tony go speaking with Senior? How will Gibbs &amp; Shannon go in there with him?**

**More up soon! You know I love to hear your thoughts/comments, so review away!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I know you're anxious to see what the deal is, so I'll make this thank you quick. Thank you to everyone! I love knowing you're all enjoying the continued adventures we're going through!**

**To CookiesSprinkles: Thanks for your thoughts &amp; ideas, they're interesting, I'll give you that! Unfortunetly it wouldn't be his mum being alive, he was with her when she died, Tony makes reference to it in Season 9, Ep1, she died in hospital, while they were watching a movie.**

**What's going on with Tony &amp; his father, let's find out! **

* * *

Gibbs saw a dejected look on his daughter's face as she came down the hall, but as soon as she saw him she motioned him towards her, obviously wanting a private conversation. "you ok?"

"Today is not the day for that question dad" Kelly replied.

Gibbs realised she was right "ok, what now?"

"Need you to get Tony's dad picked up &amp; brought here, but alone. He's apparently travelling with someone, Tony doesn't want that person brought here. He also doesn't want Tim or Ziva to go, in fact he doesn't want any of his team near him. So it will have to be a separate team, one that's never met him" Kelly answered.

This was just getting better &amp; better Gibbs thought "Ok, that I can do"

"There's a chance those INTERPOL agents may be waiting too. We need to get him before them" Kelly added, she knew she had to give her dad a heads up on them.

Gibbs really wasn't liking this one bit "can you give me any hints? I don't like this Kells"

"I know you don't dad, neither do I" Kelly agreed "Tony has asked that you &amp; mum be with him when he speaks to his father. He's going to need support, a lot of it...annnndddd try not to let him do anything he'll regret later on, I'll be close in case Tony needs anything"

Yet again, Gibbs didn't like that remark, but just like his wife had readily agreed so did he, if Tony needed him, he would be there for him, no questions asked. "Ok, I'll organise a team to get Senior &amp; make sure they get him before INTERPOL do"

* * *

Gibbs was waiting for Senior in the reception area of NCIS, he'd sent SSA Kevin Kruse &amp; his team to get him, with clear instructions, bring him alone &amp; don't let INTERPOL take him. He saw the team &amp; DiNozzo Senior approach, better steel himself for this he thought, if only he knew what 'it' was.

"Gibbs" Senior greeted "what is going on?" he was utterly dumbfounded as to what was going on, he'd hoped this trip to have been a great surprise, but stepping off the plane &amp; out of customs he'd been greeted by not only NCIS agents, that he'd never met, but apparently INTERPOL. He was worried, what on earth was going on? Was his son ok?

"Don't know Mr DiNozzo, if you could wait over there, I'll be with you shortly" Gibbs said motioning to a space near the lift, he needed a word with Kruse.

"and will you then tell me what's going on? Is Junior ok?" Senior asked, not liking the brush off.

Gibbs didn't answer him, but looked at Kruse's SFA Michele Lovett "take him please"

"Yes boss" Lovett replied, motioning Senior away from them, she &amp; the rest of their team took him away.

Kruse knew his boss was in the dark as to what was going on, they all were "guy's got a mouth, I see where DiNozzo get's his"

Gibbs looked at Kruse, he was a former Air Force Military Police Officer &amp; had the frame to prove it, it was one of the reasons he choose him to go collect Senior, knowing he wouldn't take shit from INTERPOL &amp; would hold firm ground if push came to shove, he also looked damn intimidating to say the least "ahh huh, run into any trouble?"

"Well, those INTERPOL idiots were there, but they lost the battle to take him" Kruse replied "they were being really determined until I mentioned your daughter's name, said that if they didn't let us speak to him first, they'd have to deal with her &amp; it probably wasn't a good idea to piss off her even more than she was"

Gibbs smirked but he was still surprised they relented "Still..."

"I also told them as soon as we were done with him, they could speak with him" Kruse reported, he had to give them personal assurances that it would be the case.

"That's fair enough" Gibbs agreed "let's get him up to the conference room" he added making a move.

Kruse nodded "yes boss" he'd never dealt with Gibbs in the past, but like everyone he'd heard the stories &amp; the story, but for the life of him he couldn't work out why everyone was intimidated by the guy, he was a very good man &amp; even better boss.

* * *

Tony wiped his face with a tissue, Kelly had just left &amp; said his father was on his way up, this wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but he had to have it, he deserved the truth he knew that much at least! He took a few deep breaths, he was as mad as he'd ever thought he'd been in his entire life he just felt completely &amp; utterly betrayed! But he could do this, with Shannon &amp; Gibbs there for support, he was even more certain of the fact. He saw the door handle move &amp; took a deep breath, here goes nothing!

* * *

Gibbs held his hands up as he walked "I don't know what's going on, Tony's waiting for you, in there" he pointed to the conference room door, Senior was still bombarding him with questions.

Senior looked at him he still had no idea as to what was going on, but headed into the room, his first appearance at NCIS Naples wasn't exactly going to plan. Opening the door he saw his son standing on the opposite side of the room &amp; he could see how tense he was "Junior" he greeted.

Closing the door behind him, Gibbs flashed Shannon a concerned look, this was the first time he'd seen Tony since before the conversation with those INTERPOL agents &amp; he could tell the poor man had done some serious crying, the only reply he got was a look of equal worry.

Tony just stared at his father, he was not going to be pleasant with him.

Senior could see his son was not himself, but then his eyes fell to the woman he could only presume was Gibbs's wife, stepping forward he held his hand out "you must be Shannon" he said with a smile.

Tony tensed even further &amp; stepped forward full of rage, there was no way he wanted him near her, let alone speak to her, he didn't have the right "Don't!" he exclaimed "you don't have the right to speak to her, let alone call her by name as though she's your friend! You don't even deserve to be the same room as her!"

Shannon had gone to step forward but stepped back in pure shock.

Gibbs's eyes widened in absolute shock, what had gotten him so upset that he was acting like this? He repositioned himself to stand alongside his wife, just in case of who knew what. He thought Tony looked close to decking Senior, that wasn't good, he'd make sure to always stay between them, just in case, this is probably what Kelly was talking about.

Senior looked at his son in utter shock "Junior"

"Don't call me that!" Tony bit back.

Shannon had been completely shocked by Tony's outbursts, she &amp; her husband kept sharing concerned looks, what on earth was going? She wondered if she should say something? It looked like he was teetering on the brink, but she didn't want to get between father &amp; son, so she'd wait for a few more a minutes she decided if things didn't improve she'd then step in.

"Ok Anthony" Senior said "what's all this about?"

"Who'd you come here with?" Tony demanded, he wanted that answer first &amp; foremost.

"Could we possibly speak alone?" Senior asked, he really couldn't work what was going on but he'd prefer to have this conversation alone.

"NO" Tony replied bluntly "I don't give a damn about what you want, they're staying. Who'd you come here with &amp; why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Gibbs just stood there, he &amp; his wife were standing to the side, neither knew quite what to do, Senior was staring at them wanting them to go, but one thing they knew, they weren't going anywhere, Tony needed them, so they'd stay.

"Linda Turner" Senior said quietly "I wanted to talk to you first about it, face to face"

"Why is she here with you? And what did you want to talk about?" Tony demanded, what on earth was she doing here?

Senior hesitated, he really didn't know how he'd take the news "We're... we're... getting married" he said very hesitantly, this was not how he wanted to tell his son.

Tony actually laughed "you're marrying my mother's best friend, she was maid of honour at your damn wedding! That's just... perfect!"

Shannon couldn't help but share a surprised look with her husband, he was getting married again? To Tony's mother's best friend? Hmm... that could elicit a bad reaction to say the least.

"She's... my soul mate Junior" Senior confessed.

"I said, don't call me that!" Tony exclaimed

Taking another deep breath Tony eyed his father again "But if she's your soul mate, and my mother's best friend, I'm guessing she knows the deep dark secret"

"What deep dark secret?" Senior asked.

Tony just stared at his father "you know so many things make sense now it isn't funny!"

"I don't know what you're talking about... Anthony" Senior said, his son's tone, actions &amp; words were seriously worrying him.

Tony just stared at his dad, he was trying to keep his breathing under control, but not really succeeding.

Shannon's heart was breaking watching Tony try to suck up the will to say it, whatever it was, she wanted to help, she wanted to do something, but right now didn't know what.

Tony diverted his gaze from his father &amp; looked over to Shannon &amp; Gibbs, all he saw was their compassion, their love, it made him even madder, but he didn't show it towards them, what he felt was directed to his father &amp; his mother.

Tony shifted his gaze back to his father "you should have told me!"

"Told you what?" Senior asked, what was his son talking about?

"All my life... a lie... a damn fucking lie! You &amp; my mother are real pieces of work you know that!" Tony exclaimed.

Senior just stared at his son, he got a very bad feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Gibbs had a feeling it was about to come out &amp; held his breath wondering what on earth it was.

Shannon could see Tony was ready to let loose, with what she had no idea, but whatever it was it wasn't something small, like her husband she held her breath as she waited..

Tony took a breath &amp; just stared, he took one more deep breath, his eye's locking on his father's.

"You should have told me! When were you going to tell me!?" Tony exclaimed "When were you going to tell that I... had a sister!" he yelled full of rage.

* * *

**A/N: Ok... I'm not even going to say anything... I'll just let you mull over it... ;P**

**All I will say is, how will the rest of the conversation go? That's up next!**

**I'm working hard on it, it will be up shortly! Let me know what you think! Review away!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: To all my latest followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard! To all my reviewers, you all rock! I love hearing your thoughts &amp; to know you're all loving this just inspires me to write more &amp; more!**

**In answer to my guest reviews:**

**To CookieSprinkles: Thanks for your awesome review! I like all your theorising, but you'll have to read to see which one it is!**

**To Guest: I'm so glad you love this story so much! It makes my day hearing how much people enjoy this! Regarding your thoughts, you just assumed &amp; that breaks Gibbs Rule #8, Never assume! All I will say is that Shannon was NOT sold to Mac. Why was Tony defending her so much? I'm hoping it'll be explained in the conversation..**

**To Guest 'huh': I can understand why you think it may be an overreaction, especially for an adult. However, this event (which is massive in itself) has also given Tony cause to think about numerous other things &amp; that added to all his emotions. I hope it's all conveyed in the conversation.**

**Now, I had considered splitting this conversation between 2 chapters, but I had a feeling that a few of you might not really appreciate it, so I worked quite hard to get it all done in one! So here we go!**

* * *

Gibbs was more than surprised, he was downright shocked &amp; saw his wasn't alone, his wife looked utterly shocked just like he was... sister?

Tony just stared at his father, while he'd been lied to by his father already, this was something else entirely &amp; it really hurt. The other issue was that his mum had lied to him too his entire life, he was feeling completely &amp; utterly betrayed, he was furious "You're not even going to deny it are you?" he demanded.

Senior was utterly shocked, he'd had to sit down "I... how... " he couldn't even form words.

"So, you're finally lost for fucking words! That's so bloody typical! Just tell me, were you ever going to tell me?!" Tony questioned.

"I..." Senior stuttered.

"Well!" Tony demanded.

Gibbs knew that Tony had to at least give Senior a chance to explain, he approached him carefully &amp; put a hand on his shoulder "Tony" he said softly.

Tony's head snapped back to Gibbs "what?" he asked briskly.

Gibbs could see the tension, the fury all over Tony's body, he just squeezed his shoulder trying to calm him "give him a chance to explain" he said softly, not wanting to further antagonise the situation or Tony.

Shannon nodded in agreement &amp; gave Tony a warming smile, trying to do her part to calm him.

Tony looked between Gibbs &amp; Shannon, again all he saw was their compassion &amp; love for him, it calmed him, as much as he could be calmed "Fine... go ahead, I can hardly wait" he said, leaning back against a wall &amp; just staring his father.

Senior now looked up to three pair eyes all staring at him, his son looked almost murderous, but he saw heartache in Shannon's eyes &amp; he wasn't sure what he saw in Gibbs eyes. He looked back to his son "How did you...?"

"That's not up for discussion yet" Tony retorted instantly "Just tell me, why didn't you ever tell me!?"

Senior sighed "It's... it's complicated"

"Life is complicated!" Tony retorted "but the fact that I have a full blown sister surely would register as something that I dunno... maybe, you should have told me!" he finished in an absolute yell of fury.

Again Gibbs &amp; Shannon shared a look of surprise, not only did Tony have a sister, but it was full blown, proper sister? For some reason Gibbs had presumed she was a half sister, but full? That meant his mother &amp; father had kept something from him... damn! This wasn't good, not good at all..

"It... it was a different time back then, it wasn't acceptable..." Senior started, taking another breath he continued "we... had her before... ... we were just out of high school... "

Shannon could see he was struggling with words &amp; had a hunch what he was getting at "you had her before you &amp; Tony's mother got married?"

Senior looked up, grateful for the words he couldn't say, he just nodded before continuing on "your grandparents insisted that she be given up for adoption... I never got to see her, your mother never got to see her, let alone hold her"

Gibbs didn't agree with Senior keeping that from his son, but he knew it was a very different time back then. Having a child out of wedlock was a very big deal, he could see the pain of it all over Senior's face.

"It was a miracle that they eventually allowed me to see her again... we only managed it after your mother &amp; I both threatened to cut off all our ties with our parents &amp; never see them again. They eventually relented &amp; allowed it, but we were to never mention it again, ever" Senior explained, it was actually cathartic for him to finally be able to get it off chest all these years, it had been terrible to keep it from his son.

Shannon had to admit she was slightly confused, for one from what she knew of parents of that era, they never allowed their kids who'd had kids out of wedlock to ever see the other party again. For the other, if this Linda Turner was his 'soul mate', why did he want to get together with Tony's mum? It didn't seem right to her, she just surmised there was more to it, there had to be.

Tony hadn't relaxed at all, he just stood there stoically listening "and after they all died? I was 6! You &amp; my mother were both alive, why didn't you tell me then!?"

Senior had had nightmares about this conversation ever taking place, all the pain, trauma seemed to be really happening, just like he imagined "could we talk about it in private possibly?" this was very personal for him. He didn't want his family's dirty laundry aired, especially in front of Gibbs &amp; his wife, someone he knew had a very close relationship with his son.

"NO" Tony replied "they aren't here for you, they're here for me! But you should probably thank them, because if they weren't here, you'd already have been meeting the carpet!" he vented, it was probably true, if they weren't there trying to keep him calm, he probably would have decked his father already "answer the question"

It was then that Gibbs &amp; Shannon both released that Tony still had his sidearm in his holster, uh oh! Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief as Tony silently handed it to him. He removed the bullet cartridge from it's chamber &amp; set the weapon down behind him, well out of Tony's reach, he placed the cartridge into his pocket, just incase.

Senior slumped, realising he wasn't going to win that argument &amp; had to admit he was thankful when he saw the weapon being handed over, he took another deep breath "you... you wanted a sibling so badly, your mother &amp; I didn't know what effect it would have on you if you found out we had already had a child &amp; let them go... we made the most difficult decision we could, we agreed to never tell you, I'm sorry"

"You know if there's one thing I've learnt, especially over the past 10 months it's that secrets, are never a good thing &amp; family's don't hide things from each other, they put it all out on the table &amp; deal with it, together!" Tony replied briskly.

"We kept it to protect you" Senior replied softly.

"No you didn't" Tony retorted "you kept it so you wouldn't have to face dealing with it! You &amp; my mother were being selfish! You lied to me! You **both** lied to me! A family doesn't lie to each other!" he yelled, he'd finally learnt what being apart of a true family was &amp; lying was not something you did.

Shannon could see Tony was falling apart, this was breaking him &amp; as a result it was breaking her. She felt her husband squeeze her hand, he was obviously seeing it as well, she knew just like her he wanted to do something, but this all had to come out first, they just hated watching it.

"No Anthony, we made a decision to try to shield you from the heart breaking truth of what your grandparents made us do. Family's lie sometimes to protect, I'm sure you've seen that first hand" Senior finished flashing a look at the Gibbs's, he knew the story.

Gibbs tensed, not liking where Senior was going with this one little bit.

"Don't you dare compare your actions &amp; my mothers actions with them!" Tony replied, he was outraged "What they all went through &amp; everything they did was to actually protect each other! None of them did anything to protect themselves! None of them were selfish in their actions, in their lies, they are the most selfless family I've met! You don't even compare!" how dare the man compare what he &amp; his mother did to what the Gibbs family did.

"We did what we thought was best for you, we didn't want to loose a second child" Senior whispered.

Gibbs had seen a small part of Tony relax after his venting, but Senior's latest comment had brought him right back to the boil.

"Loose a second child? That's laughable!" Tony retorted "your idea of keeping a child, especially after you'd lost your first one &amp; your wife was to what? Ignore him, ship him off to boarding schools &amp; summer camps, forget him in hotels &amp; basically leave him to be raised by teachers &amp; camp counsellors... yea, great job you did there!"

That struck a cord with Senior "I'm sorry, but I was shattered Anthony, I couldn't cope for a very long time after I had lost your mother, I know what I did wasn't right or the best, but you managed to pull through, you've become a fine person, I'm... proud of the man you've become"

"No thanks to you!" Tony bit back "you know the only reason I am where I am is because of Gibbs! He was one of the first people to see past the mask I created &amp; actually backed me! Trusted me to get the job done, had faith in me to do the job! He never let me get away with crap, he called me on it, made me accountable for my actions, which hey that was a new concept for me, should have gotten it when I was younger, but guess you were too busy 'closing deals'."

Gibbs did his best to swallow the pride he felt that was being directed at him.

"And I'll tell you something else for free, the reason I know I'll get through this! The family I have now! But especially, Shannon! She actually cares about me &amp; my feelings, she never judges, never tells me to stop crying or to, what was it you said after my mother died 'go cry in your room' just so you didn't have to hear it. She just let me get it out &amp; told me that I'd get through it, because she wouldn't let me not get through it! She'll help me! It's what a parent is supposed to do! Actually be there for their kids! If you were half the parent either of them were, you'd still not make it into the same ball park as them! They're both my parents more than you'll ever be! More than my mother ever was!"

Shannon &amp; Gibbs both just stared at Tony, neither knew what to say to that, yea all three knew of their close bond, but to hear Tony of all people, Tony who is as good as Gibbs about talking about feelings, to say all of that, wow!

Senior didn't know what to say, he knew that he hadn't had the best relationship with his son growing up, but he hoped in the last few years that had changed. He knew Tony felt like Gibbs was a father figure, but to actually hear the words, it hurt, especially hearing Shannon was more a mother to him than his own "we had some good times, I know you &amp; your mum certainly did, she loved you so much"

Tony looked at him shocked, after what he said to hear that as a reply? Really? "The odd good time doesn't compare to lifetime of lies! But I finally get my mother's Louis XV obsession, it wasn't about him, it was a way for her to dress me in clothes that were as close to feminine clothing as she couldn't possibly get away with! Not to mention the decor in my room! You know it gave me nightmares! And I guess I've also found out the reason why you both drank so much!"

"I know things were bad, but these last few years were ok?" Senior tried, he had to try to get his son to see some good.

"Why did you finally get back into contact with me? That account snafu could have been fixed without you coming to DC back then? What, you finally decided that you felt guilty for all the years of neglect?" Tony asked, he saw the reaction in his father's eyes, he was right.

"I used it as a way to try to bridge our broken relationship, wanted to make it up to you somehow, yes I admit that" Senior replied.

"I'm not here to make you feel better for your failings!" Tony bit back, he took a breath &amp; turned for the first time in a while to look at Gibbs "I need Kells"

Gibbs was worried what he wanted Kelly for, but he texted her none the less.

Kelly came into the conference room almost instantly, she'd been hanging out in the hall, she was wondering how it was all going. She wondered what her parents were making of the news, she had heard some shouting, which was expected, it still didn't help her feel any better. As she entered she saw Tony up one end, he was beyond tense. Her parents were standing to the side in the middle of the room, they looked stunned, confused &amp; worried, she understood it all. Senior was at her end of the conference table that she came in at, he looked... well, horrible.

Kelly stowed her curiosity of the man that she'd never met &amp; made her way to the middle of room across from her parents, she looked to Tony "need something?"

Tony took a deep breath "yea, I want to file papers"

Kelly didn't like that "what kinda papers?" she shot her parents a worried look, both mirrored the worry.

"I want to disown him!" Tony said harshly "what's it called? Emancipation?"

This was what Kelly was afraid of "you sure about that?"

"Junior please!" Senior begged "that's not..."

"Shut up &amp; don't call me that!" Tony bit back to his father "you cut me off when I was a kid, I'm simply finishing the process!"

As soon as Tony said it something came do his mind "Did you cut me off so that you'd have money for her!? Cause you know, as far as I know, you're fucking broke! Which hey, another lie you kept from me!"

Senior's eye widened "How could you even think that Anthony!" he couldn't believe his son thought he'd do something like that. "I love you son"

"How can I think that?" Tony barked back "seriously? You shipped me off! Cut me off! Coming back into my life now doesn't change that! You may love me, but you fucking lied to me, about something beyond serious! I thought I could handle your lie about your wealth status, but this, no! After today, I don't ever want to see you again! I will disown you!"

That's when it hit Tony, one of the reason's he'd broken down, yea finding out he had a sister was major shock to his system, especially the way he was told. But he realised something else, he'd actually learnt what it meant to be apart of a real family &amp; a real family didn't lie to each other about anything, even the small things &amp; his father just never seemed to stop lying amongst other things. It was the stark realisation that _his_ family wasn't anywhere close to the real deal &amp; knowing that he'd missed out on that was almost too hard to bare. Knowing he'd never really be able to trust his dad again to believe that what he said was the truth was too much for him to contemplate. The thing that kept him going was that he knew he was apart of a real family now, he could have complete faith that in his family now he knew that there were no lies, none of them lied about anything, truth always served things the best, he'd taken that mantra on &amp; they were all thriving together. This gave Tony another thought of gratitude towards Gibbs, without him &amp; he wouldn't be in a real family. He'd closed his eyes as he leaned back on the wall, deep in thought &amp; only opened them when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, Shannon's.

Shannon was feeling beside herself, she didn't know what feeling was overriding what? The sorrow she felt for both men, the pain she felt Tony was going through, his anger, he was about to crack. She just didn't want him to do something in the heat of the moment he may regret, she moved towards him &amp; spoke gently, trying to calm back down "Tony, give it some time, don't make a rash decision"

"Think about this Tony" Gibbs added, this was major decision &amp; not one to make while he was so emotionally charged.

"No, I've thought about it enough, I don't want anything to do with him!" Tony replied, he turned to Kelly "can you do it?"

Kelly took a deep breath, her parents were right, this wasn't a decision he should make quickly, especially in such an emotional state but she wasn't going to say no, especially in front of Senior "I'll start the paperwork as soon as we're done here" that would give him some time to think about it.

"I wont sign it" Senior said, surely he had to sign it, he just couldn't to loose his son.

Kelly could see that Tony was looking murderous, he'd even taken a step towards her, clearly wanting to get past her to his father, she put a hand on his chest &amp; then turned to Senior "Mr DiNozzo, while it is a simpler process to do when both parties agree &amp; sign it off. It is still possible to enable when the parent doesn't sign &amp; you can be certain that I will make it happen if that is Tony's wish, whether you approve or not. His wishes are the only things I am concerned with"

"Anthony, please" Senior begged, he just couldn't bare to loose him.

Tony shook his head "No, and you can have your stupid family signet ring back" he said pulling it off &amp; throwing back down the table.

Senior couldn't believe this was happening! He'd always feared what his son's reaction would have been had he ever found out &amp; the worst of his fears were coming true "Please Anthony...I... I can't loose you too"

"Too late!" Tony bit back "you should have thought about that earlier, heck you should have thought about that 40 fucking years ago!"

Shannon's heart was breaking, she could see both men were crumbling, Tony was extremely distressed at being lied to his entire life, which she totally understood. His father looked to be crumbling from his reaction &amp; the very real chance that he'd loose his son, while she didn't agree with what he &amp; his wife did, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man, he'd obviously had to deal with his fair share of heartache throughout his life.

Tony didn't think he could stomach to ask the questions that they needed to ask, he looked to Kelly "ask him the questions"

Kelly knew what questions he meant, but still "you don't want to do that?"

Tony shook his head, he leaned back against the wall, he wasn't sure he could do it.

"Can you first tell me how you found out?" Senior said almost begging, with each sentence his son spoke, he felt more &amp; more hurt.

Kelly looked to Tony for confirmation &amp; received a nod, she pulled out a pad of paper &amp; pen &amp; sat down a few chairs away from Senior "I'll explain how all this came up, but I need to clarify a few things first"

"Just tell me, please" Senior said now looking at Kelly for the real time, she was a beautiful young lady &amp; those blue eyes were as bright as her father's "please" he added again, hoping she'd feel something towards him to help him.

Kelly could see the pain on the man's face "I know this is terribly difficult &amp; confronting Mr DiNozzo, but I just need to clarify a few things first." she took a pause, gosh this was going to be difficult, she'd done interviews like this before but she was never this heavily invested.

Gibbs could see that his daughter was using all her strength to keep it together, he was standing in her line of sight &amp; gave her a look to say 'you can do this'. It suddenly dawned on him how hard it must have been for her to not tell them about this earlier. He wished he could help her more, but he had no idea about what questions to even ask. All he could do was remain calm, if he tensed, so would she &amp; Tony &amp; that definitely wouldn't help at all.

Kelly saw not only her dad give her a confident look that told her she could do this, but her mum had done the same, she took a deep breath "when was the last time you or your wife had contact with your daughter?"

Senior just looked downwards "never, we never got to see her"

Kelly sighed, the man looked so down about it &amp; why wouldn't he be? "you never tried to find her?" gosh this was hard..

"Couldn't, I don't even know what agency the adoption went through, the hospital handled it all anonymously. All we were allowed to do was give her a name" Senior answered, still not being able to look up.

"What did you name her?" Tony whispered, he needed to know, needed to know if the name she had was what they'd given her or if it'd been changed.

Senior finally looked up "Patricia Danielle" he said softly looking at his son.

Tony knew where that came from, Patricia was his mother's name, Danielle was the female version of his father's &amp; his middle name, Daniel.

"Lovely name" Shannon commented, but she directed it towards Tony, she was able to draw a smile, which she was glad to see.

"Can you confirm when &amp; where she was born?" Kelly asked.

"St Ann's Maternity Hospital, New York, she's... she's five years older than you, born December 24th, 1968" Senior answered looking towards his son "look... can you tell me..."

"You said you never tried to find her? But has she made contact with you?" Kelly asked interrupting him.

"NO!" Senior exclaimed "Like I said, I've never laid eyes on her! Will you tell me what is going on!?" he demanded standing up, he wanted to know what was going on.

Gibbs &amp; Tony had both stepped forward to deal with him but Kelly held her hand up to stop them.

"I'll explain now Mr DiNozzo, but I must ask that you retake your seat please" Kelly said calmly, trying to draw on all her experience at keeping calm in tense situations, she also didn't want to aggravate the situation, Tony was relatively calm at the moment &amp; she wanted to keep it that way.

Upon seeing him sit back down Kelly spoke, slowly &amp; gently "Tony received a visit from a couple of INTERPOL Agents a few hours ago, it appears while you had no idea what happened to her &amp; never looked, the same can't be said for her."

Senior shot a look upwards at her "she was trying to find us? Is she... is she ok?"

"Honestly... I can't say she is ok, at the moment she's missing" Kelly answered truthfully, she saw Senior was going to interrupt her, she continued quickly "Let me finish, you can then ask your questions"

Gibbs knew that it was something serious, he'd just have to wait for the answers he knew would come from his daughter, then they'd have to get moving to find her.

"Well firstly, let me tell you about her, at least what little we know or think we know. It appears that your daughter is a naval officer, a Commander to be exact, she apparently though had her name changed to Patricia Marie, Commander Patricia Marie Kaplan." she'd have shown him the file photo INTERPOL gave them, but Tony had insisted that his dad not see it, she tried to say he deserved to see it, but he was adamant that he not see it, so she couldn't go against his wishes.

Shannon wondered how they knew she was Tony's sister? Gibbs had to admit he was surprised to hear Tony's sister was a naval officer, he saw though a small smile playing on Tony's lips &amp; returned it, just thankful that he was able to smile right now.

"But how do you know it's her?" Senior asked, to hear she was a naval officer was a feeling of pride though.

"Because she was looking for her family, my guess she was curious as to who they were, if she had any family out there" Kelly replied &amp; continued "After she was discovered as missing, they searched her private computer &amp; found various searches of various hospital &amp; adoption records, but... **but** they also found that she'd somehow managed to run her own DNA against the federal database, it got a hit - Tony's" she finished blankly.

Senior was trying to process it, his daughter was trying to find them? But wait "What does INTERPOL have to do with it?"

"They're tasked with looking for her &amp; wanted to know if she'd made contact with Tony" Kelly answered simply. She didn't let on about how she felt those agents handled the interview, she was disgusted by it, but that wouldn't be something she'd tell him.

That caught Gibbs attention, INTERPOL were tasked with finding her? NCIS should be doing that? Hmm... something was going on here!

"We have to find her!" Senior suddenly said, he had always felt terrible about having to give his daughter up, but now it appeared he could help, he needed to help her.

"**We** will find her, **you** will be leaving" Tony said finally breaking his silence.

"I can help... if you tell me a little more I can help... " Senior said, he felt like he needed to help.

"You don't even know where she's missing from or why!" Tony bit back

"Because you haven't told me that yet! I can help! I **want** to help!" Senior replied getting himself worked up too.

"I know you don't!" Tony answered with a death glare "you don't have clearance! **We** will find **my** sister! **You** will be leaving! I..."

Kelly had to interrupt "Actually, INTERPOL want to interview him, they just arrived" she'd just gotten a message from Kruse.

"I don't know anything!" Senior huffed.

"Then the chat should be quick &amp; you can go on your merry way!" Tony retorted "Go back to New York with your soul mate &amp; leave me, my sister, my family alone!"

"Anthony please, I'm... I'm... still your father, I'm your dad, I never stopped loving you &amp; never will" Senior said, the thought of loosing his son was just too unbearable to contemplate.

"You might be my biological father, but you're not my dad, not even my family. Dad's, family's don't lie to their kids like you've done!" Tony bit back "you know, I think I may even envy my sister, at least she would have had a chance to grow up in a loving environment &amp; not be stuck with liars!" he added.

Shannon held another breath she saw that Tony's comments had yet again really affected his father, she shared a worried look her husband &amp; daughter, all three were holding their breaths.

Senior didn't know what else he could do, say, his son was obviously too angry to listen to him "I hope one day you can forgive me"

"Unlikely" Tony replied "And I already said, after today, I don't want to see you again!"

Kelly thought it best to get Senior out before even more was said "Mr DiNozzo, Agent Kruse is in the hall, he will escort you to the INTERPOL agents, so they can speak with you. He'll then arrange transport for you back to your hotel"

Gibbs just watched as Tony stared at his father as he left the room, neither unable to say anything further.

* * *

**A/N: Senior's shattered, Tony's still fuming &amp; I'd say the Gibbs's are all still holding their breaths, but they are all very concerned about it all. Can Tony calm down about it all enough to change his mind about the emancipation? What exactly is Tony's sister, Commander Kaplan involved in with INTERPOL?**

**I'll just let you digest that, you know I love hearing your thoughts, so let me know what you thought about that conversation! More up soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, I had this ready to go days ago but the internet was down for days :( But it's back! so YAY! To my latest followers/favourites welcome aboard! To all my reviewers, you just rock!**

**To Guest: Thank you for your comment, I can understand your thoughts about Tony acting like that, and I will be dealing with it further down the track, but at that point in time, it's what I felt he needed.**

**To Sue Dooley: So glad to have you with us again, glad you enjoyed the first lot of chapters!**

**Now, let's see how everyone's doing?...**

* * *

Gibbs was sharing a look with his wife, Tony was rooted to the spot, obviously he was lost in who knows what thought, he knew she was as concerned as he was, but Kelly's voice interrupted him.

"Confirming she was born 24th December, 1968, at St Ann's Maternity Hospital, New York City, born Patricia Danielle... placed into adoption immediately, unknown agency... ok, just let me know as soon as you get anything Jim, thanks" Kelly finished hanging up her phone.

Kelly saw her parents looking at her "Jim will work things from stateside, get details on the adoption, we need to make sure that this lady is who she's believed to be"

"She is" Tony whispered.

Kelly sighed "Tony, I know you believe that &amp; based on the little we know, I'd agree, but we have to get absolute certainty that she is your sister. I don't want you, any of you risking your necks for the wrong person"

Tony knew she was right, so he just nodded as he fell back against the wall, and leaning his head back he closed his eyes.

Shannon watched as her husband went &amp; stood in front of Tony, he was obviously trying to let something out after the conversation with his dad.

"Tony, look at me" Gibbs coaxed resting his hand on Tony's shoulder "look at me Tony" he repeated when he hadn't moved.

Gibbs swallowed a sigh when he saw Tony finally look at him, the tears had returned.

"My mother never lied to me! But she did all my life!... and so did he, he... lied to me! They both did! ... they... were... my parents... and they lied to me!" he got out, he'd always thought that his parents, his mum especially would never lie to him about something this important.

Gibbs couldn't really deny it "yea they did Tony, I don't think it was right" he didn't want to get in between Tony &amp; Senior, all he wanted was to help Tony cope with it "But I want you to remember something, you were right with what you said, we'll get you through this, you're not dealing with this on your own"

After having a brief conversation with her daughter &amp; watching her head out, Shannon moved to stand next to her husband "you've got us, not to mention Ziva, who I know is extremely concerned about you, then there's Tim, Sharaz, Conrad"

"Think Kells has already shown she's in this for the long haul too, and I'm pretty sure that Nix &amp; my dad, along with the rest of this building will do whatever they can too. We've got you in this Tony" Gibbs added, he'd already had all of the in-country SSA's ask him what they could do.

"Thanks" Tony whispered.

"What did Kelly &amp; I say about that word Tony?" Shannon asked with a smile.

Tony let out a small smile "not required between family"

"Amen to that" Gibbs smiled

"Kelly's gone ahead to your office Jethro, she had a few calls to make" Shannon said "she said when we're ready, we should join her"

Shannon took a breath "Tony, I think before any more explanations occur &amp; I know there are plenty, you should tell Ziva &amp; the others, I'd hate for you to have to go through it more than necessary"

Gibbs agreed, that was a good idea "I'm also guessing we don't have a lot of time to spare? Think there's a family member out there to find?"

Tony nodded "there is"

Gibbs took a step back &amp; put his hand out Tony to take "then let's get to it"

Tony took Gibbs's hand, he wasn't quite sure why he wanted his hand, but then got pulled forward a step to close the space between them.

Gibbs looked Tony in the eye "everything'll be ok, I promise you" he said gently tapping him on the cheek with his free hand.

Tony let out a small calming smile, if there was one man he trusted more than any other it was Gibbs.

* * *

Tim &amp; Ziva were pacing, neither liked that they were just waiting for the conversation to be finished. Silva &amp; Zuse just watched them, both knew things were bad, but weren't sure what to do to help.

Tim was concerned about a whole lot of things, a) What was going on? b) How was Tony coping? c) What was going on? but most especially, d) How was Kelly? He could already see the stress lines on her face &amp; he knew things were only just beginning. He just wanted to make sure she was coping with it all.

Silva saw both Ziva &amp; McGee pacing, but she caught sight of Kruse "ahh" she said a little above a whisper trying to draw their attention.

Ziva looked up at Silva's motion, her eyes widened, she saw Senior walking down the far corridor, he was walking right in the middle of Kruse's team, they were boxing him in. He looked utterly horrible, she saw him meet her gaze, it was one of devastation. She then saw him attempt to move up the hallway towards her only to be denied by Kruse &amp; ushered into another room, a room she knew the INTERPOL agents were waiting in "What is going on?" she asked.

Tim had seen the same thing all over Senior's face "no idea" he admitted.

"Guy looked gutted" Zuse commented.

"Ya think" Ziva snapped, much like Tony would do normally.

Zuse swallowed, clearly realising he said the wrong thing.

Tim then saw Kelly come down the hallway, he saw her coming towards them, but stopped to speak to someone, who he realised was from their in house counsel, he watched as that lady then headed into the room where DiNozzo Senior had just gone.

Kelly knew that she couldn't be in there with Senior, but she didn't want the man alone, so she'd managed to wrangle Lisa Epps, an NCIS in house counsel to be there for him, it was the best she could do. After seeing Lisa head in she continued on, but really, until Tony told them, she couldn't wait with the team. As much as it pained her she walked straight past them, holding her hand up motioning she was going upstairs.

Tim, along with the others, all watched as Kelly walked past them, clearly not wanting to talk right now. He watched as she headed up towards Gibbs's office, but she veered off into the bathroom, he was concerned, the stress lines were definitely showing.

Silva held her breath as she saw Tony approach with Gibbs &amp; Shannon.

Shannon knew Tony was nervous, she motioned to her husband to take him straight up to his office, she watched the team watch Tony walk through, it was breaking her heart. She could also see how each of the team, especially Ziva &amp; Tim were hugely concerned about Tony, even Zuse who was so new had a worried look.

As soon as her husband &amp; Tony had moved far enough away from the team Shannon looked between the team &amp; spoke gently "Tony wants to tell you all what's going on, so why don't we all go upstairs"

Ziva felt hurt yet again, she was being told what was going on with everyone? Surely she was important enough to Tony for him to tell her first?

Tim followed Shannon up the stairs, he was concerned about Kelly, as far he knew she was still in the bathroom "Ahh, Mrs Gibbs"

Shannon turned "yes Tim?"

"Ahh" Tim stuttered "Kelly's... in there" motioning to the bathroom.

Shannon nodded, she had a feeling her daughter would need a moment to compose herself "Thanks, why don't you go inside with the others"

"yes ma'am" Tim nodded.

Shannon watched him go, she thought it was more than time for the _'ma'am'_ &amp; _'Mrs Gibbs'_ to be shelved, she'd have to grab another word with her husband. She pushed the door open of the bathroom &amp; saw her daughter standing by the sinks, she was resting her hands against the vanity with her head handing down too.

"Kells, you ok?" Shannon asked, approaching her.

Kelly raised her head "yea, just needed a minute"

"That is more than understandable darling, it must have been quite difficult in there &amp; not just for Tony." Shannon said gently.

Kelly just nodded, it wasn't that she'd break down as such, but she'd eventually need to vent her frustrations out &amp; that wouldn't pretty or quick, so for now she'd have to suck it up "I'm good"

"You sure?" Shannon asked, she didn't want her to go before she was ready.

"Yea, I can't really do this right now, need to keep it together" Kelly answered.

Shannon knew she was right "ok, but don't hold it all in too long, we both know that doesn't help anything" they both knew all about keeping emotions bottled up.

"Yea, I think when this is done though, I'll either want a punching bag, or a large carton of ice cream" Kelly commented.

"Why not both?" Shannon smiled as they headed back out.

* * *

Gibbs led Tony straight into his office, he knew it would only be moments before the rest of the team entered &amp; merely stood against a wall as he watched Tony, whereas before he was frozen to the spot now he couldn't keep still, he was pacing.

Tony started pacing behind Gibbs's desk as he saw the team, _his_ team come in, the last to enter was Ziva, he saw her concern, her worry, but also pain, he'd known that asking for Shannon would cut at Ziva. He walked to her slowly, taking her by the hand he led her back out the door.

Ziva allowed Tony to walk her out of the office &amp; she saw Shannon &amp; Kelly walk past them, she continued until he stopped them in a small corner. She could see that he was struggling with what he wanted to say, suddenly realising Kelly was right, she had to shelve her personal feelings &amp; concentrate on what Tony needed, she took a deep breath "whatever it is, we can deal with Tony, I'm here for you"

Tony looked at her, in that split second he saw her love for him, he took hold of her hands "I have a sister"

Ziva really didn't know what to say to that, a sister? "Sister?" she whispered.

Tony nodded "yea, a real full blown sister"

Ziva was stunned "I..." she honestly didn't know what to say... she wasn't expecting this, actually she didn't know what to expect, but not this!

"I know" Tony said "I wanted to tell you this first, but can we go back to the others for the rest? I really can't go through it more than once, and we don't have a lot spare time"

"Ok" Ziva nodded "Thank you for telling me, I look forward to meeting her" she was glad he'd taken the time to tell her, it wasn't the full story she knew that, but it was definitely the big news &amp; for that she was both grateful &amp; glad, it meant a lot to her.

Tony had to smile "me too"

Upon returning to the office Tony noted that his whole team, Gibbs, Shannon &amp; Kelly were all there. He also saw that Tristan was here too, he hadn't expected it, but he should have, she'd need be brought into the loop, so she might as well be here from the beginning.

Shannon could see by Ziva's face that she obvious knew, he'd taken the time to tell her first, she was glad to see that. They really did care for each other.

Tony was leaning against Gibbs desk, there were people sitting at the meeting desk, on his small 2 seater couch, Gibbs &amp; Shannon though were standing against the wall just to his left, he flashed them a look, how the hell did he do this?

Gibbs could see Tony was stuck on how to say it, at least how to start, he wondered if maybe he wanted him to do it? He raised his eyebrow in question, knowing Tony would get its meaning.

Tony saw the raised eyebrow, he knew what it meant, he was offering to start this, he took another look around the room, the fact that out of the all the people in the room, at least half already knew some part of it made it easier, he took a deep breath wanting to be the one to tell them.

* * *

**A/N: Tony's regrouping and has managed to tell Ziva, that is a good thing! Tony will need her going forward.**

**So now it's time for Tony to tell the team about his sister &amp; lay everything out.. How will that go? How will they react? What exactly was INTERPOL's reasons for questioning him?**

**All that up next! It's coming soon.. you know that I love reading your thoughts, so review away! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: To my newest followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard! To my reviewers, thanks so much! **

**I know you're eager to see how the team take it &amp; find out more about INTERPOL, so let's get straight into it..**

* * *

"I have a sister" Tony said, it was just above a whisper, but given the room was silent, everyone had heard.

Kelly saw the shock on the faces of Tim, Tristan, Silva &amp; Zuse, she understood it all.

"Sister?" Tim stuttered, what the?

"Yea, real full blown sister" Tony nodded.

Zuse didn't really know his boss that well, had no clue about his family, so he wasn't quite sure what the reason was for the shocked state.

Shannon saw Tony was stuck on the further explanation "Tony's sister was born out of wedlock, his parents had to give her up to adoption straight away" she said gently.

Ziva's eyes widened at that news, it went partly to explain the reason why Senior had looked the way he had.

"Her name's... Patricia" Tony said.

"A very strong name" Tristan commented, while she didn't know everything about Tony's family's past, this was quite obviously something he'd never known.

"Like you mum" Ziva smiled.

"Mother" Tony corrected, but he looked to Kelly "add her to the papers."

Kelly sighed, he wasn't going to let this go, she'd have to speak to him a little later once he'd calmed down, she nodded none the less.

Silva looked between the pair, she didn't understand Tony's need for correcting Ziva nor his comment to Kelly, but she'd seen her &amp; her parents all slightly cringe at it, apparently, he was pissed off with his mother too.

Gibbs gave an internal sigh, he hoped his daughter could hold off until he'd calmed down &amp; had a chance to think about it all when he wasn't so cut up with raw emotion. He thought it best to move them on to something they could all deal with "Let's get down to it, Tony's sister... Patricia, is actually a naval officer, Commander Patricia Kaplan &amp; she's apparently missing" he would have continued, but that's all he knew.

Tristan's ears peaked up at this news, this was getting closer to why INTERPOL had gotten involved.

Kelly looked at Tony wondering if was going to speak or if he wanted her to do it.

Tony could see Kelly looking at him "can you?" he was still a little emotional.

Kelly nodded "Sure Tony"

Kelly pulled out a folder &amp; opened it, it was a photo "Let me introduce you all to Commander Patricia Kaplan, of European Special Projects, who's duties fall into the confidential, but not classified arena" she added the last bit for the benefit to tell them, she could deal with this. As a civilian lawyer who was able to work within the military system, she had a 'confidential' clearance level. She also knew her mum had the same clearance, given dad's position &amp; the fact that she'd done odd jobs at the various base buildings in terms of design, layouts, and honestly, who knew what, but she'd gotten the clearance required.

Gibbs eyes widened at the photo, that lady... he looked at Tony, he knew exactly why Tony was certain this lady was his sister "Damn"

Tony smiled "remind you of someone?"

Ziva understood Gibbs's reaction, her eyes were as green as Tony's she had brown hair just like him, though she couldn't tell the length as it was tucked up into a bun under her cover. She was basically his female twin.

Shannon just smiled at the photo, what caught her was the smile, it was the same grin with the same dimples that Tony had "you my boy, you"

"If she's navy though why are INTERPOL involved? Shouldn't we, as in NCIS be looking for her?" Silva asked, she knew that lady was Tony's sister, spitting image!

Kelly felt all eyes on her, it was the most logical question, one that she'd already posed to the INTERPOL Agents "she was working on a special joint task force with various NATO military teams &amp; missing personnel are apparently handled by INTERPOL"

"That doesn't sound right to me" Tristan remarked "if one of ours is missing, we find them!"

Kelly smirked "hence why the INTERPOL Agents didn't want anyone baring Tony in that conversation. They want to try keep the investigation internal. Agent Moretti was at pains to say they will find her, they were merely making contact to see if Commander Kaplan had contacted Tony at all"

"She knows about Tony then?" Tim asked

Kelly nodded "Apparently yes. From what they told us..."

"you mean what you got them to confess" Tony smirked, he didn't normally like involving lawyers, but she'd gone to town on them &amp; rightly so! They were assholes!

"They got off lightly" Kelly replied to Tony, after the way they handled the conversation, they didn't get half of what they deserved.

Gibbs wanted to get details on how exactly that conversation went down, but that wasn't something for right now.

"Ok, so she was apparently at the Defence Training Estate, in Norfolk, England when she went missing a week ago. When NATO &amp; INTERPOL Agents started the search for her they checked her residence on base &amp; her personal laptop had been left behind. They found she'd done numerous searches of hospital &amp; adoption records." Kelly started to explain.

"So, she knew she was adopted &amp; was looking for her family" Silva remarked.

Kelly nodded "Definitely, they also found that somehow she'd managed to..." she took a breath, she suddenly realised that what she was about to say could quite possibly bring charges against her, she changed the way she decided to say it "she managed to run her own DNA against the federal database &amp; found a match in Tony's" saying she hacked into it, wouldn't have been wise.

Tim's eyes widened, that would have been a serious hack! "She..." but he didn't say anything more, Kelly was eyeing him as if to say 'shut up', he realised she knew very well what it meant.

"How'd she manage that?" Tristan asked.

Kelly gave an internal cringe "they aren't certain ma'am, all we know is that she know's that Tony is her brother" she hoped that she'd leave that line of questioning alone.

"Do we know anything about why she went missing?" Ziva asked, she could tell that not only did Kelly want Tristan to stop her line of questions, so did Tony.

"They aren't really sure why, at least that's what they've told us" Kelly replied, she was certain there was information they hadn't been told.

"Do we know what she was working on?" Silva asked.

"She's was part of the US military team that was taking part in a summit that was looking at how to adapt current bases for the future changing needs that all the services are facing in the face of the changing landscape of dealing with terror &amp; piracy. The summit group is moving around looking at various bases around Europe &amp; the US" Kelly explained, she'd had to drag that out of the agents, almost painfully. "but that's all we know"

Gibbs looked around, everyone seemed to be just trying to process everything they'd heard, he'd have to take the lead on this. He turned to McGee "find out where the summit team are now, we'll need to speak with the rest of the US team, they may be able to shed some light"

Tristan knew they'd also have to speak with INTERPOL, she dialled her phone "Kruse, are INTERPOL still here?... good, have them escorted to my office &amp; keep them there! Gibbs &amp; I need a word with them"

Gibbs nodded in agreement, he'd about to make the same phone call, he took a breath, there was one more thing they could, no needed to do "Tony, we'll need to look at her service record, there may be something in there to help us ascertain a reason for her disappearance"

"I know" Tony replied.

Gibbs didn't want the rest of this conversation to go down in front of every "McGee, take Silva &amp; Zuse, get going to see what you can find, speak with our London office too &amp; see what they have, if anything"

"Right boss" McGee replied, he could see Gibbs wanted to have a more private conversation with Tony, he stood &amp; ushered the team's junior agents out with him.

"I'll meet you in my office Gibbs" Tristan remarked, she saw the same thing.

"If I could make one suggestion?" Kelly asked.

"Certainly Kelly" Tristan replied.

"If the urge to punch them, or anything similar comes up, call me? I'd like to do the honours" Kelly smirked.

Shannon couldn't help but look at her daughter surprised, she knew she was pissed at the agents, but to have openly say that... hmm...

Tristan raised her eyebrow, she turned to Tony "I know this might not be something you want to talk about Tony, but how exactly did those agents break the news to you?"

Tony huffed, he wasn't sure he could handle saying it.

"Coldly, harshly &amp; downright wrongly!" Kelly answered "They first asked him if he was an only child, which he said yes to &amp; I know that they clearly heard him, because their eyes widened at the confirmation. They then asked if he knew a Commander Kaplan &amp; when he said no, they didn't believe him. They accused him of lying &amp; harbouring a naval officer who was AWOL, so basically a deserter. When he still maintained he didn't know her, they asked how it was possible that he didn't seeing as she was his sister"

Gibbs tried to calm himself back down, those agents clearly knew Tony didn't know he had a sibling &amp; then they just said it like that... that's just wrong! He was going to go to town on these agents!

"I see" Tristan said, she understood exactly why Kelly was so disgusted with them "just let your father &amp; I deal with them, they wont get off lightly, I assure you both"

Gibbs totally agreed, he nodded at Tristan as she headed out, the remaining people - him, his wife, his daughter, Tony &amp; Ziva, all just stood there for a few more minutes, again wanting to digest everything.

Gibbs stepped away from the wall &amp; went towards Tony who was now sitting on the couch next to Ziva. His wife &amp; daughter were both sitting on some chairs, he pulled one up as well close to Tony "Tony"

Tony looked up to Gibbs "I know, we have to look at her file"

"Yea, cause we've already said that, but you need to decide on how you find out the information" Gibbs said, he took a breath "Do you want to learn about her by reading her file? Or by speaking with her?"

Tony realised Gibbs was right, how did he want to learn about his sister? By reading her service record or by actually speaking with her? He knew what he'd prefer but.. "we need to look at it regardless, it might hold clues"

Gibbs nodded "It may, but looking at it doesn't have to be your job"

Ziva could understand why Tony would want to learn about his sister the 'right' way, but they did need to look at her service record "I can look at it if you'd like"

Tony looked at Ziva, he could see she'd do it in a heartbeat for him, but as he thought about it he came to a realisation "I want you to get to know her in person, like me" he wanted them both to get to know his sister together, in person.

Ziva smiled, he wanted them to do that together, which she'd love to...but then who'd look at it?

Tony looked at Kelly, he knew he was asking a lot, but she had experience at keeping things confidential "can you?"

"I'd be happy to Tony, but I wont deny that me looking at her record is not the same as one you looking at it, you all know what to look for a lot more than me" Kelly replied, she'd be happy to do it, but she wasn't a trained agent who knew what to look for.

Tony realised she was right "Tim can look with you, but I don't want know... unless it's serious"

"Can we confer with dad about what is 'serious'?" Kelly asked, she knew Tim would agree to doing it.

Tony nodded "yea"

Gibbs rose "ok, let's get to it, Ziva why don't you &amp; Tony go downstairs &amp; take over from Tim in driving the search, send him up here. Kells, you &amp; Tim can use my office for now"

Shannon watched as they all nodded, she saw they start to head out but held Tony back "Tony, I'm going to go home, but you need anything, anything at all, just call me. Do you understand?" while she'd have loved to stay, they had work to do, they needed to concentrate. Besides, Jack was at home &amp; they'd diverted Nix home too, she wanted to see how he was doing.

"Ok" Tony nodded, while he'd had preferred to have her stay, he knew they had to get going &amp; concentrate.

"Can I tell Jack &amp; Phoenix? Or is it something you want to do?" Shannon asked.

"You can" Tony answered.

Shannon nodded "ok, so... what do you want for dinner? Your choice"

"Not that hungry" Tony replied.

"You will need to eat something, that's not up for debate. So either decide or I will" Shannon replied.

"That chicken &amp; sun dried tomato pasta we had the other week?" Tony asked, he remembered that being delicious "and some ice cream?" he added with a small smile.

"Pasta no problem, but the ice cream will be store bought, there's no time today to make it from scratch" Shannon replied.

Kelly had been giving the pair space but couldn't help but chuckle at the pout now showing on Tony's face.

"I'll make some for tomorrow, is that good enough?" Shannon replied, it was actually nice to see Tony pout at a trivial matter like this.

"Guess so, mint choc-chip with toffee?" Tony grinned.

"You're as bad as Phoenix!" Shannon smirked "ok"

Kelly watched as her mum &amp; Tony headed out of her dad's office, she was glad his mood was getting better. This was going to be a tricky road to navigate through, but with all of them working together as a team, they'd be able to get through it.

* * *

**A/N: So they all know now, that's a good thing! Seems Patricia was part of a pretty big task force, but with Kelly knowing they didn't tell her everything &amp; Tristan suspicious could there be more going on than meets the eye?**

**But will all the focus on Tony just how is Nix doing? How'd he go at the club?**

**More up soon, you know I love reading your thoughts/comments, so review away &amp; make me smile!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry for the delay folks! Been too caught up in the Asian Cup Football tournament that's currently going on here in Australia &amp; we're in the final, so YAY! To my fellow Aussie's - Go Socceroos!**

**To my latest followers &amp; favourites welcome aboard, so glad to have with us on this adventure! To my reviewers, you rock! Love hearing your thoughts/comments, so keep them coming!**

**To my guest reviewers:  
**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks, glad you liked it**

**CookiesSprinkle: It is a pretty big mess right now &amp; may take some time to clean up! As for Nix, since when do I do things simply? ;P**

**Now, how is Nix doing? Let's find out..**

* * *

Shannon arrived home, the day certainly wasn't going the way she thought it would be going, she saw that her son was obviously already home, she wanted to see how he was doing before she told them anything about Tony.

Jack saw Shannon come inside, he had to admit he'd been concerned, she'd called him &amp; said something had come up &amp; she'd had to go into NCIS, but didn't say why, and that was hours ago! She was looking exhausted "My dear, are you ok?"

Shannon put her bag down "A little tired Jack, sorry about this morning"

"No worries, jet-lag is still getting the better of me, so I just went for a walk around the area, stopped at that nice little bakery down the road" Jack replied.

"Where's Nix?" Shannon asked.

"Shower, he was pretty quiet when he got home" Jack answered.

"Think he's probably a little down about being asked to come home &amp; not go into Jethro's work. I think he was actually looking forward to that" Shannon said, she'd heard the disappointment in his voice when she'd called him earlier. She hated herself for doing it, but today was not the day for him to go in.

"Take it that whatever is going on is still going on?" Jack asked.

"Very much so, and I'll explain, but let me first check on him" Shannon replied as she headed upstairs.

Hearing no water running Shannon presumed he was in his room, knocking she only received a quiet "yea" in response, so she headed in. She saw her son perched on his bed, he was reading a comic book, that was a little unusual "How you doing darling?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

"Fine" Nix replied, keeping his head down looking at the comic book.

"You're upset about being asked to come home instead of going into dad's work aren't you?" Shannon guessed.

Nix didn't say anything, just kept his eyes glued on the comic book.

"Darling, I know that's part of it &amp; Dad was looking forward to you being in there with him, but something came up that the team has to deal with, something pretty big and dad &amp; I felt it would be better if you didn't go in today" Shannon said gently.

Shannon waited for him to say something, anything, but nothing came "Come on darling, talk to me, please. You know we don't keep things bottled up" she wouldn't preach the rules until it was necessary, besides they all knew them.

Nix took a breath "Did you think I would have gotten in the way?"

Shannon eyes widened &amp; her heart sunk "Absolutely not Phoenix, you would never be in the way, ever!"

"Then why couldn't I have gone into dad's work? I was just going to sit in dad's office, he said he had no meetings today, that I could just be there to do my college work" Nix said, he'd woken up still feeling pissed off, but when his dad suggested he go into his work it had given him something to look forward to, he'd rarely gone into NCIS like he was supposed to today.

"I know that's what the plan was, but as I said something pretty big has happened, which I want to tell you &amp; gramps about &amp; because of that dad &amp; I decided that you going in wasn't in **your** best interests. It wasn't because you'd have been in the way, but given what's happened dad will have no spare time today to be with you, so we thought it was best that you came home to be with me &amp; your grandfather. I know it's not the same but it's what we thought was best for you darling" Shannon answered. She knew the day's plans had given him something to look forward to &amp; she had a expected a reaction, so this wasn't totally out of left field for her.

Nix huffed "so what happened that was so big it stopped me going in?"

"I'll tell you, but first I'd like to hear how you went at the club, what's been decided?" Shannon asked, she wondered if part of his foul mood was because things went wrong at the club.

"And I'd like to hear what kept me home! You know I even messaged Kells to call me &amp; she said she'd speak to me later! What's going on!?" Nix replied, he wasn't sure why he was making such a big deal about this, but he was annoyed, first he'd been denied going into his dad's work, then his sister had brushed him with a 'let's talk later' line, why were they not there for him!

Shannon didn't know about his text to his sister, she suddenly could see what this all looked liked to him, they'd all said they'd be there for him &amp; now they'd all seem to be deserting him, this was very poor timing to say the least! "Darling, let me assure you that neither your dad nor your sister are brushing you off. They're both upset about what happened &amp; want to do all they can to help you navigate through it, just like me"

"Then why does it feel that way! Why do I feel like I've been passed over for whatever the hell is going on?!" Nix vented finally standing up from his bed.

Shannon felt a pain inside "Darling we would never pass you over &amp; dismiss you, none of us would ever think about doing that. We're here for you no matter what, you should know that"

"Then why do I feel the exact opposite?" Nix asked.

"Because of bad timing darling, that's all it is. Tony got some pretty shocking news today &amp; we were trying to help him through it, but I came home because we didn't want you here alone, I wanted to make sure you are ok. Believe me when I say that if there's something, anything you need your sister, your father or I to do, we will do it" Shannon asked gently.

"I just wanna know what took precedence" Nix sighed.

"Then let's go downstairs darling, we'll speak about everything while we have a bite to eat ok? How about some tuna pie?" Shannon asked as she took hold of him "come on darling"

Nix just nodded.

* * *

Nix just stared at his mum, she'd just finished explaining what had taken their attentions &amp; he was stunned "Tony has a sister?"

"Seems so" Shannon nodded.

"wow" Nix whispered.

Jack was suitably stunned as well "I take it things didn't go well between father &amp; son"

"Not in the slightest Jack" Shannon answered "both men were extremely cut up by the end of it"

Jack could understand why Tony's parents had been forced to give Patricia up, in those days having children out of wedlock was a serious matter &amp; it quite often led to adoption. Whether he agreed with them keeping it a secret from Tony, well that was another matter entirely.

Nix was suddenly feeling like a little kid that had had a tantrum over something silly now that he knew the reason for getting detoured home &amp; his sisters 'lets chat later' message "sorry about..."

"Darling, there is nothing, nothing to be sorry about. You didn't know the situation &amp; you reacted it's understandable, so don't you worry about it, ok?" Shannon replied, she'd expected this reaction.

Nix nodded "ok, how's Tony?" he knew what it felt like to be lied to by family, but it was for completely different circumstances. He just couldn't imagine what it would be like to find out his parents had lied to him like Tony's had all his life, he'd be pissed off to say the least.

"He's... adjusting to his new reality as best as he can, they're just focusing on find her right now, everything else will take a back seat for now" Shannon replied "but before we go any further, I'd like to know how you went at the club today? Has anything been decided?"

"Appeal is tomorrow 09:00 at the Italian Federation Headquarters. They're hoping to get the red card rescinded entirely, but at the very least keep it the one-match automatic ban &amp; not the 3 matches that they could impose" Nix responded "I was hoping you'd be able to come"

"And where else would I be?" Shannon asked back "we will be there Phoenix, this is important for you"

"Can't think of anywhere else I should be" Jack added, his grandson would need support &amp; he would give it, no matter what else was going on.

Nix let out a small smile "I kinda offered Kells assistance to Tevez, if he needed it" Tevez was the club's lawyer.

"Well that is something I'm sure your sister would be glad to do, we'll call her shortly &amp; let her know, I'm sure she'll be eager to help" Shannon said, she could see her son was about to interrupt her "it doesn't matter what else is going on darling, she will do whatever she can to help you. You should know that your sister will always prioritise you over other people, no?"

Nix nodded again, he knew that but still this thing with Tony... "I know, but she's helping Tony"

"And as your sister will no doubt tell you, she's a talented person that can do two things at the same time" Shannon replied.

"If I recall she even said that last night, said she could proof read an essay while painting" Jack smiled.

"See" Shannon said "so just relax darling, everything'll be ok, but right now I have a job for you"

"which is?" Nix asked.

"Tony has requested pasta for dinner &amp; some ice cream, that can't be ready until tomorrow, but maybe you &amp; your grandfather can make start on it? Mint choc-chip with toffee" Shannon smiled.

Nix grinned, he &amp; Tony had similar tastes when it came to home made ice cream "that's my kinda ice cream!"

"Had a feeling you'd say that" Shannon smiled "now, let's get to work"

* * *

"Well that was useful" Tristan remarked, she sat in her chair really not knowing what had just happened "that was..."

"Smoke screen bullshit" Gibbs offered.

"There's something not right about this, they basically only told us what Kelly had already said, those agents know nothing else about what's going" Tristan replied, she pressed her intercom to their assistant "Alice, get me the Head of INTERPOL for Italy"

"yes ma'am" Alice replied.

Tristan watched as Gibbs just paced, she'd already worked out he was a pacer "I'll speak with INTERPOL, why don't you go see what the team have got?" she knew his diplomacy skills were... yes well, that's why she dealt with inter-agency matters. Gibbs was great at the investigative side of things, but his way of dealing with diplomats, even these days was still very much like a marine...

Gibbs nodded "good idea" and headed out of her office.

Alice had just put the call through to Tristan when she saw her other boss walk out "Excuse me Boss, but Agent McGee has asked you to go see them in your office"

"Thanks Alice" Gibbs replied &amp; headed straight to his office.

Entering the room he saw his girl &amp; Tim both sitting at his meeting desk, they had Patricia's service record up on his flat screen &amp; Tim was using the wireless keyboard to navigate "so, what ya got?"

Kelly looked at her dad "well...what does Tony mean by serious? Serious as in need to know cause of danger, or serious as in major information that would tell him something about her?" she asked, they'd certainly learnt a lot about Tony's sister already.

Gibbs sat down, he'd noted that Tim had blacked the screen out, which he understood. He thought about his daughter's question "do you mean as in martial status? dependants? That kinda stuff?"

Tim flashed a look at Kelly, that was exactly it "yea boss, that stuff" it felt really weird to know all this stuff before Tony, but he understood why he &amp; Kelly were doing it.

Gibbs considered it, it was important stuff "Could any of it have anything to do with her disappearance?"

"Not sure yet boss" Tim replied.

"Did you get anything else out of the INTERPOL Agents? I know there was something they weren't telling us" Kelly asked.

"Nothing, but you're right there's something going on that they're not saying" Gibbs replied "Tristan is speaking the head of the Italian INTERPOL Office to see what she can find out"

Kelly didn't like that answer, she wondered what on earth could be at play "ok... so about this file?"

Gibbs considered it all "keep looking through everything, we'll make that decision once we can speak with her colleagues, they should be able to give us a better understanding as to her state of mind before she went missing"

"Ok" Kelly agreed.

"I'm going to get some lunch ordered, baguettes sound good to you?" Gibbs asked.

"Sure, chicken salad with cheese?" Kelly asked.

"The same thanks boss" Tim added.

Gibbs nodded "Done &amp; I'll presume coffees all round?"

Kelly looked at her dad "is that a rhetorical question?"

Gibbs smirked, he leaned down "the file, missy"

Tim chuckled "coffee sounds good boss, thanks" neither of them had even begun to consider ceasing their continual riling of each other, it was fun to watch.

Gibbs looked at Tim "you are welcome Tim" he turned to his girl "you see, that is what you should have said"

Tim smiled at Kelly.

Kelly smirked "who'd have thought the time would come when the two of you would be on the same page so often... it just warms my heart, mum will be so pleased to hear it" gosh she loved riling her dad, and this was the easiest theme to do it with.

Gibbs just eyed his girl "uh huh"

Tim watched him leave before turning back to Kelly "careful Kells, he had that smirk on his face, think he's up to something"

"Pft, what will he do? We're in the middle 'this' he has no time to 'do' anything" Kelly replied, under normal circumstance she may have been concerned about retaliation for her comment, but they were in the middle of something massive, her dad wouldn't do anything.

"I'll remind you of that later" Tim replied, he was sure Gibbs had something cooking, he had to admit, he was feeling a lot more comfortable in his relationship with Kelly now &amp; as a result he was feeling more comfortable with Gibbs, in that sense.

Gibbs made his way downstairs towards the bullpen area but halted in his tracks, he saw Tristan motion him back up &amp; she didn't look good.

Tristan was fuming &amp; worried "we've got a problem!"

"What?" Gibbs asked, she looked really worried.

Tristan spoke "Those 2 INTERPOL Agents... they don't exist!"

* * *

**A/N: Oh ow! What's going on? This can't be good right? But could this news tip Gibbs back into his 'old' self?**

**More up soon! You know I love hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: New chapter folks! I have to admit that it's not often I run into minor writers block, but I did with this one. I've pushed through it, so I hope it came out ok! It's a situation that's confusing, I think that was part of my issue, but I assure you, everything will not only make sense, but the reasons will be revealed in due time.**

**To my latest followers/favourites, welcome aboard! Glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, I've said it before &amp; I'll say it again, you rock! I love hearing your thoughts/comments, it spurs me on.**

**To guest reviewer Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**Now, just what is going on? Let's find out!**

* * *

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked shocked.

Tristan was fuming "Neither of those men are INTERPOL agents, that's what I mean!"

Gibbs eyes widened "excuse me?"

"They aren't on the books of INTERPOL!" Tristan confirmed "This is more than concerning, how they got in, all the information they had..." this was very very wrong "We've got to get bodies working on this is, this is a major security breach!"

Gibbs suddenly tensed, he was not liking this one little bit, but he wondered how Tony would take it? Wanting to shield him from what was boiling to the surface, he looked down to the bullpen "DiNozzo!" he barked.

Tony's head shot up like a flash, that kinda sounded like his old boss.

"Get up here" Gibbs ordered, once he'd seen Tony look at him.

The whole team looked as Tony rushed up, they were concerned &amp; saw that he clearly was too.

"Something wrong?" Tony asked, not really knowing what to make of Gibbs demeanour.

"Go wait in my office for me &amp; send McGee only out here pronto" Gibbs ordered, he was also concerned with how his daughter would take the news.

Tony looked at his boss &amp; saw his old boss looking back, though he was concerned he nodded "yes boss"

Tristan headed down not even waiting for Gibbs to finish his conversation with Tony, she understood though what he was doing &amp; why,

"Something wrong ma'am?" Silva asked cautiously, she'd heard the raised voices but couldn't make out what was said.

Tristan was boiling, she need a moment to calm herself, she saw Gibbs had now joined her &amp; McGee was rushing down the stairs towards them.

Ziva had never seen the woman look so angry, she shared worried looks with the others.

Gibbs whistled drawing the attention of the entire floor &amp; not just Tony's team, this was something that would need a lot of attention "Listen up!" he called.

"Those 2 guests we had from INTERPOL, Moretti &amp; Mandel, they are not INTERPOL Agents!" Tristan started.

Ziva was stunned, what was she talking about? She saw that she wasn't alone, Tim looked utterly shocked, as was Silva &amp; Zuse, not to mention everyone else.

"I just got off the phone with the head of the Italian division of INTERPOL, their office knows of no operation in regards to locating a missing US Naval Officer &amp; when he searched their employee database, he found no sign of anyone matching their names or descriptions." Tristan stated

Tim couldn't believe what he was hearing, this was getting better &amp; better, he saw the shock over all the faces in the squad room, especially those of people who'd dealt with them, Kruse was looking ropable.

Gibbs took a breath, but he was utterly furious! "We have all just been played! I do not accept that! Kruse, you &amp; Donnelly find the assholes! Contact reception, get copies of their cred's! I want them! Everything on them! I want them sitting in interrogation ready to shit themselves!"

"Yes boss" Kruse &amp; Donnelly replied instantly while they were shocked at the news both were taken aback by the ferocity their boss was showing, they'd never seen it before.

Gibbs turned to Ziva &amp; Tim "Clean slate, forget everything of what we've been told, locate Commander Kaplan, now!" he growled.

"yes boss" Ziva &amp; Tim replied instantly flashing each other a look.

All eyes just watched as Gibbs stormed off back to his office, even Tristan who was angry herself couldn't help but be surprised at not only his changed demeanour, he was looking mad as hell &amp; she thought that was putting lightly but the speed that he'd given the orders before taking off, without really getting into it.

Silva was downright shocked at what she had just witnessed, even though she was stunned at the latest news she had to ask, she turned to Tim "ahh, what was that?"

Tim shared another look with Ziva they both knew what that was "that was..."

"...the old Gibbs" Ziva finished.

Tristan saw that all eyes fell to Ziva, some looked shocked, others looked worried, some may have even looked intrigued. She'd crossed paths with Gibbs on numerous occasions during their careers. Given though she'd spent most of her time aboard, they'd never spent a lot of time together, but she had heard the stories of the man &amp; his well, demeanour "I see... should be an experience, I would hate to be those men" she stated, she saw that all of the agents in the squad room still had their eyes fixed on Ziva "or any of you if you don't start doing your jobs! Those that don't have high priority assignments you're to back up Kruse, Donnelly &amp; DiNozzo's teams. Get moving!"

"Yes ma'am" came the chorus reply from the squad room.

Tristan turned to McGee &amp; David "as soon as you locate her, report to Gibbs &amp; myself. We need to move fast..." she'd have continued but got interrupted.

"We're already on it ma'am, we'll locate her &amp; dismiss everything we got told" Tim said interrupting her.

"I've already got calls into the Training Estate HQ's &amp; her local area command, but we will call them again, we'll get to the bottom of it" Ziva added before asking her own question "Tony &amp; Kelly? Have they been told?"

"They're in Gibbs's office, I'm presuming that's what he's doing now" Tristan replied before heading back towards her office. She'd already put the building on high alert, but she'd need to speak with Vance &amp; maybe even put the whole base on alert? Plus she needed to ask how best to deal with the 'old' Gibbs?

* * *

"What's going on Tony?" Kelly asked as soon as he'd told Tim to get down to the squad room.

"No idea, but your dad... well" Tony said, not really knowing how to tell her he thought Gibbs had reverted to the 'old' Gibbs.

"Dad what?" Kelly asked, she couldn't work it out.

"He's... well, he's definitely pissed off about something..." Tony remarked, taking a breath "he's kinda acting..."

Kelly wasn't sure why he was stuttering, nor what he was trying to tell her about her dad "acting like what?"

"How he used to... you know, second b for..." Tony said trying to convey the message.

Kelly's eyes widened in surprise, she'd heard stories about her dad's prior demeanour, especially that he was knowns as Gibbs, second b for bastard. She only ever saw brief glimpses of it back when everything was going down, but she'd never think it would come to fore again, unless it was something really bad. That gave her major cause for concern.

* * *

Gibbs walked into the outer office area he shared with Tristan, it was where Alice was situated, he looked at her instantly "Alice, go &amp; get the lunch order please. And put an order together for dinner, all agents will be working back"

Alice looked up from her desk, she knew her bosses were both angry, but as yet didn't know why, not wanting to anger him even more she rose promptly "yes boss"

Gibbs waited for Alice to leave &amp; then using her desk he bent over, resting his hands on the edges he took a few deep breaths. He was beyond furious that they'd been played! That **_HE'D_** been played! Those two assholes had stood face to face with him &amp; he didn't even realise they weren't the real deal! He could feel his blood pressure rising throughout his body, he was angry with the situation but also himself. He took some more deep breaths not wanting to go into his office &amp; speak with his daughter &amp; Tony in such a state.

Gibbs entered quietly, and remained silent as he heard his daughter on the phone.

"_Sarò lì, felice di incontrare presto per discutere i requisiti_" Kelly said as she saw her dad enter, he really didn't look good. (I will be there, happy to meet earlier to discuss the requirements)

Tony flashed a look at Gibbs, he could see he was brimming with what ever was going but that he was also curious "Tevez, Club's lawyer, appeal's set for tomorrow, she's seeing what help she can lend"

Gibbs nodded, this was extremely poor timing, he was going to have to do some juggling, he had to be at that appeal.

"_Sì, posso fare stasera, 20:00 va bene, naturalmente, si prega di venire da_" Kelly said before hanging up. (Yes, I can do tonight, 20:00 is fine, of course, please come by)

Kelly looked at her dad "Appeal is tomorrow 09:00 at the Italian Federation Headquarters, Tevez will come over tonight at 20:00, he wants to speak with Nix again &amp; then we'll go through things, not exactly my area of expertise, but..."

"You're going to help anyway" Gibbs said, managing a smile he interrupted her.

"I am" Kelly agreed "is everything ok?" he looked... well, not like he usually did, even when he was annoyed, it was kind of off putting.

"Sit" Gibbs motioned the pair to sit down on the couch &amp; took a breath "Tristan has just learnt something &amp; it's not good".

Tony flashed a look at Kelly, this didn't sound good at all "what?" he was really worried now.

"Moretti &amp; Mandel, the INTERPOL Agents" Gibbs said.

"What about them?" Kelly asked, where was he going with this.

"They aren't with INTERPOL" Gibbs answered.

"What do you mean Boss? They..." Tony really didn't know or like what was going on.

"They're not INTERPOL Agents, the head of the Italian office confirmed it when Tristan called them" Gibbs said.

Kelly was mortified "We saw their credentials, saw the information, everything looked legit!" she whispered.

"I know Kells, they got past us all, not just you" Gibbs soothed, his girl was looking mortified at being conned. Tony was looking both shocked &amp; worried, this was not going to go unanswered.

"There's more, when Tristan spoke with the head of the Italian branch of INTERPOL she found out that not only are those 2 men not on their payroll, now or previously, they also have no details on the missing person investigation they were supposedly working on" Gibbs said gently.

"What the hell were they doing here then?" Tony asked he was now majorly pissed off &amp; confused "is..." he couldn't even bring himself to say what he was thinking.

Gibbs could see what he was struggling with, he grabbed the file &amp; pulled the picture out "this girl, look!" he commanded pointing at the photo "this is your female twin, you're dad confirmed you've got a sister &amp; I believe this is her, so she does exist &amp; we will find her!"

Kelly rose, she couldn't believe she'd been played! She was so incredibly angry with herself! "I need a minute" she said as she headed for the balcony that her dad shared with Tristan, she needed fresh air to think.

Gibbs wanted to go with her, he wanted to make sure she was ok, but he also wanted to respect her request, so he'd give her a moment before going out. Besides, he still had Tony to handle, he took a breath "None of us like this development but we are going to find them, we are going to find your sister. We will get to the bottom of why they came here &amp; who they are really working for, they are going to be dealt with."

* * *

Tristan needed a moment to think, she realised as stepped out on the balcony that she wasn't alone, she saw Kelly standing out there too, leaning against the balustrade. By the look of it she'd been told the wonderful news.

Tristan approached her "Kelly?"

Kelly looked up, she really didn't know what to say "I'm sorry"

Tristan knew what she meant "Kelly, you weren't the only one played. Those 2 men played us all, so don't feel like it's your fault, there is nothing to apologise for. I saw their cred's just like you &amp; they looked 100% legitimate to me. The way they carried themselves they were definitely in the mould of federal agent..." she was going to continue but was interrupted.

"Thank you ma'am for trying to make me feel better, but my job is to see through peoples lie's, I pride myself on being able to do that &amp; I screwed up, it's that simple" Kelly replied, while she was glad Tristan was trying to reassure her, she knew she'd fucked up &amp; would have to work damn hard in trying to fix it.

"We all did Kelly, the only question is, how we each respond to it" Tristan replied, speaking to her was actually helping her calm down &amp; look at things in a better light.

"By nailing their ass's to the wall" Kelly replied "you get them back &amp; I will make sure they don't see the light of day ever again"

"Sounds like a solid plan to me" Tristan replied, she'd never really dealt with Kelly in her 'lawyer' mode, but could see how pissed off she was &amp; clearly was wanting to do whatever she could to nail them.

"Resisting arrest has a ring to it, don't you think?" Kelly smirked.

"I've always been fond of it, we just have to make sure they can still talk" Tristan replied with her own smirk, yea, this girl was a Gibbs! She saw her phone ring, it was Vance "Director" she answered.

Kelly headed back into her's dad's office, she was feeling a little better after her chat with Tristan, but she noticed Tony was gone "where's Tony?"

"In the squad room, he's helping the others try to find his sister" Gibbs replied, as he sat them both down "how you doing angel?" he asked.

"I'm ok, I just can't believe….. I'm sorry" Kelly finished in a whisper.

"Hey, look at me" Gibbs said using his finger to raise her head to him "do I even need to remind you about F9? This is not your fault, you aren't responsible for it one little bit. They fooled all of us, I'm not happy about it, and when we find them, they will feel just how much, but this, not your fault or responsibility."

Kelly just nodded.

"You know now I realise why they were so hell bent on trying to speak to Tony alone, they were obviously concerned about being found out &amp; wanted to do whatever they had to without being found out. By the way they were acting when they were speaking with Tristan &amp; I, you had obviously pushed hard enough to make them reveal things that they probably didn't want to." Gibbs added, though what their game was he had no idea.

"Everything they said though could just be a lie" Kelly retorted.

"It could" Gibbs agreed &amp; continued "but it would be too easy for us to check on her status, and if she was ok, they'd be found out fairly quickly. I think they're right in that she's missing, why though is the question, because I would bet everything that either they're looking for her for a specific reason or know why she's missing &amp; is trying to see if anyone out there is helping her"

Kelly thought made some sense "ok.. so now?"

Gibbs smiled "now, we wipe everything clean &amp; start a fresh, we don't believe or make any assumptions on what they said &amp; we verify everything. We find Patricia, we find them &amp; get to the bottom of everything, so let's go see what the team have"

Alice saw Gibbs &amp; Kelly come out his office "excuse me boss, you're needed in MTAC, the Director's on"

"Thanks Alice" Gibbs nodded before turning to Kelly "go on down &amp; see where things are at, then maybe you &amp; Tim can get back to what you were doing, something may be in her service record that could prove useful"

Kelly agreed &amp; headed off, she was still majorly upset with herself about letting those men pull the wool over her eyes, she was even more determined now to help &amp; get this mess sorted.

* * *

**A/N: Me thinks Gibbs is pissed off? Not to mention everyone else! This isn't good at all! Just what were those 2 men up to?**

**How will the MTAC chat go? What will they learn? But an unexpected visitor drops by.. bringing a smile to not only Kelly, but her brother too, just who is he &amp; how could he tie into things with Kaplan? That's up next!**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Another chapter folks! To my newest followers/favourites welcome abroad! To my awesome reviewers, you rock! Love hearing your thoughts!**

**To guest reviewer Sue Dooley: Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're enjoying my story as much as you are! **

**Now, let's get straight into it..**

* * *

Gibbs headed into MTAC &amp; saw Tristan already in conversation with Vance "Director" he greeted.

"Gibbs" Vance greeted, he was stuck for words, he'd just been briefed on everything &amp; all he could say was crap! He really didn't know where to start "How's DiNozzo?" that was as good as place as any.

"He'll get there" Gibbs answered.

Vance took that as the only answer he'd get "any news on those men? Have you secured the base?"

"Kruse &amp; Donnelly are spearheading the search for them sir, given we're onto it fairly quickly we should be able to track them down before they get very far" Tristan answered "and yes, the base is on alert, if anything develops further we'll reassess the security measures &amp; look at lockdown, but right now we have no evidence that there's an actual threat to warrant that"

"Ok, now about…" Vance started.

"We've only started digging into Commander Kaplan's details &amp; whereabouts" Gibbs interrupted "the team's trying to find her, they're making contact with our London office, trying to get in touch with the training base they were apparently at. Kelly's asked her DC office to investigate the adoption from stateside, we need to confirm that she really is Tony's sister"

Tristan was a little taken by the way in which Gibbs interrupted Vance, but by the look on the Director's face, he was used to it.

"They said she was part of the NATO team looking at various bases around Europe &amp; the Mideast?" Vance asked.

"That's what they claimed" Gibbs replied.

Vance considered it "I don't know of anything of a sort taking place, and I'd think that if something like that was to happen, we'd know about it"

"Gee, bad guys lying, who'd have thought" Gibbs retorted.

Vance hid the smirk, Tristan was right, he was reverting to the 'old' Gibbs, gee… this was going to be fun! "Whatever resources you need for this, use it. You need more man power, bring them in from other satellite offices, let me know what we can do to help from here"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, like he wouldn't do that anyway?

"Thank you Director" Tristan replied, she then saw McGee enter.

Vance just nodded at Tristan as he saw McGee approach "Agent McGee"

"Director" Tim greeted.

Gibbs eyed him "you got something?"

"Yes boss" Tim answered, he'd gotten used to the 'new' Gibbs that seeing the 'old' one, was a little off putting.

Vance could see the look on Tim's face, clearly they were trying to comprehend the Gibbs they were now dealing with because he'd remained silent "care to share McGee?" he asked before Gibbs could get a word in.

"Right, sorry Director" Tim said, he had to snap out of it.

Taking a further breath Tim started "spoke with training base in Norfolk. They did a receive a visit from some US officers that were being shown around by their British counterparts, but it wasn't an official NATO team by any stretch &amp; they left there 10 days ago. "

"Could they confirm if Kaplan was a part of the team?" Tristan asked.

"Yes ma'am she was" Tim confirmed "they were housed on-site for their 3 day visit, but all were processed out together. Ziva &amp; Silva are trying to find out where they went after that"

"Anything else?" Gibbs asked.

"Kruse has headed out to run down the addresses that were on their cred's &amp; Donnelly is running them through the system trying to figure out who they really are" McGee reported.

"Ok, so go get back to what you &amp; Kelly were doing before McGee" Gibbs ordered "now" he asserted.

"Yes boss" McGee replied, and headed straight out.

Vance was just watching Gibbs, they needed to speak privately "Megan, could I get you to give us a moment please?" he asked before turning to the operators on his end &amp; clearing the room.

"Of course sir" Tristan replied "clear the room people" she ordered ushering the operators out of the room, she was hoping that he'd speak to Gibbs about his demeanour and if it didn't work, she'd need pointers on how to deal with him!

Gibbs just eyed Vance &amp; only spoke once both rooms were clear "something I can do for you Director?"

* * *

Kelly was exhausted by the time she got home, she checked her watch, it was 19:15, she'd have 45 minutes before Tevez was supposed to arrive. Dumping her gear on the hall table she proceeded inside &amp; collapsed onto the couch.

Shannon came downstairs as she saw her daughter fall onto the couch, she came up &amp; perched herself next to her "tired angel?"

"Wake me when he gets here" Kelly replied, closing her eyes.

"Not hungry?" Shannon asked.

"I'm more tired than hungry" Kelly answered.

Shannon gave a sad smile "any news?"

"What'd you hear last?" Kelly asked.

"That the team Kaplan was a part of had gone to Abu Dhabi from the UK &amp; that by luck they're on a flight headed here, landing at midnight" Shannon answered.

"Did you hear though that Kaplan wasn't on the flight? She'd apparently left early on during their stay there" Kelly said, still with her eyes closed "can I sleep now?"

Shannon smiled "of course angel, just one more question. What's dad's mood like?"

This caused Kelly to finally open one eye, she just looked at her mum.

Shannon sighed "that's what I thought, get some rest angel, I'll wake you soon"

Kelly pushed herself up "no, I should probably eat something, we have any coffee?"

Shannon smiled "fresh off the boil, come on angel, let me get you something to eat to go with it" she said as she took her under her arm "you ok?"

"yea, tired… really tired, but ok, it's just all screwed up" Kelly replied slumping down onto a stool at their breakfast bar.

"Well, we've come through many screw ups &amp; lived to tell the tale, so we can do it again, no?" Shannon asked "Do I need to remind you about what dad said with F9?"

Kelly yawned "no"

Shannon turned from the stove &amp; smiled, her girl had rested her head on her hand that was sitting on the breakfast bar, her eyes were closed, she was obviously tired "I think as soon as Tevez leaves, it's bed time" the only reply she got was a small nod, she opened the oven to retrieve some food.

* * *

"Worst case scenario is that you get a 3 match ban &amp; have an extended winter break, but the club will fight to avoid that Phoenix, you were clearly in the right. I'm going to do my best to get the red card rescinded, but the tribunal aren't known for their leniency, even when they know the referee made a mistake, so you should prepare yourselves for that outcome." Tevez said to Nix.

"I know, thank you" Nix replied.

"I'll read the booklet on tribunal edict tonight, and I've made a few notes on your ideas, I hope you don't mind" Kelly said.

"Not at all Kelly, sometimes having a fresh set of eyes looking at the way I'm going to tackle the defence brings new ideas, so they are welcomed, it's one of the reasons I came over" Tevez replied. He looked down at the 'notes' she'd made &amp; there were more than just a few, he'd have to go through it carefully.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, have a lovely evening, but you'll have to excuse me now" Kelly replied, she needed sleep!

"Yes of course, just make sure you're there by 08:30, we don't want to run the risk of getting there late due to traffic" Tevez said.

"We will" Nix replied as he stood up to see Tevez out.

"Please tell you mother thank you for the coffee &amp; cake, I look forward to getting this mess sorted out tomorrow Phoenix" Tevez said heading for the door.

* * *

He paced &amp; paced, this was why he'd put his hand up to be the one to come early, so why couldn't he do this? He looked at his watch 21:00, not late enough to not be able to go in, but he had to go soon. Arggh, he didn't think he'd be so nervous, he wasn't nervous on the flight at all, in fact he was really looking forward to it, he wanted to do this but he just couldn't help being nervous.

It had been a good few years since he'd seen them last, maybe 3 years, but he'd kept in touch other ways. Then everything had happened, he couldn't really believe it, he had felt utter fury &amp; heart break, not to mention confusion all rolled up together. After hearing about it all he'd taken himself on a 6 mile (10kms) run, then he'd hit the gym &amp; the punching bags for a good hour &amp; lastly he hit the shooting range, he just needed to get all his frustrations &amp; anger that had boiled up inside out. His biggest issue though was that he'd wanted to come see them ever since he'd heard, but work kept getting in the way, so now that he was here why couldn't he go in?

As he continued to pace he tried to work out just why he was so nervous? He was not a person that got nervous, the last time he was this nervous was years ago, may years ago! He was so deep in thought that he didn't see the door open, it wasn't until he heard the voices that he stopped his pacing abruptly &amp; looked up.

"Thank you Phoenix, I will see you tomorrow" Tevez replied heading out.

"Yes, we'll see you then" Nix replied, be he scanned the street front &amp; his eyes widened in complete surprise at who he saw.

Tevez saw the shock on Nix's face "are you ok?"

Nix flashed him a look "fine, good actually, just someone I haven't seen in ages, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Very well, good evening" Tevez replied &amp; headed off.

Nix watched as the guy came closer, he couldn't believe he was here! This was awesome! "007!" he grinned.

Mike had to smile at that, it had relaxed him "Squirt!"

* * *

**A/N: ow! It's 007 Mike! For those that don't remember, he's Kelly ex from back in Houston, the one that she... you know... became a woman with, lol.**

**Just how will things go with the introductions between Mike &amp; the family, what will Gibbs think? And just what is Mike doing in Naples?**

**More up soon! Remember, I love hearing your thoughts, so review away!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hi folks, I'm sorry for the delay, but it's been super busy! I wanted to get this chapter up before I pass out from exhaustion, so I'm afraid I wont have time to reply to the reviews, sorry! But I loved reading them all &amp; thank you all so much! I really appreciate them! To my newest followers/favourites, welcome to this wonderful journey we're on, so glad to have you with us!**

**Let's get straight into it!**

* * *

"Didn't know you were coming" Nix remarked as the pair came out of their embrace.

"I only found out 2 days ago, then I thought it might be a nice surprise" Mike replied.

Nix grinned "Kells will go ballistic! Come on in" he chucked leading Mike back into their place.

"Thanks" Mike replied as he looked around the living area.

That's when Mike saw all the family photos around the place &amp; he suddenly realised the reason for the nerves, he was damn nervous about seeing Shannon! He'd really been hit hard when he heard about her death. He was stationed in Germany at the time &amp; couldn't get back to help Kelly &amp; Nix through it. For him, Shannon had always been like a mum to him &amp; he'd really felt the loss, he remembered feeling so many conflicting emotions when Kelly had told him she was really alive, but how would he go seeing her again? Then the thought of seeing their dad hit him, he'd always wondered what he would have been like &amp; from what Kelly had told him about him, he was very much in line with what he thought, marine to the core &amp; damn intimidating, yeap those were the reasons for his nerves!

"Mum, Kell! There's someone here to see you!" Nix yelled up the stairs.

"I'm going to bed!" Kelly yelled back.

"Trust me! Come down!" Nix yelled back.

"Enough yelling!" Shannon called from the top of the stairs, she saw her daughter appear out of her room "let's go see who it is &amp; then you can go to bed"

Kelly huffed "fine"

Kelly came down the stairs &amp; stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing in the middle of their living area, he was now grinning back at her "Mikey!" she grinned as she launched herself at him.

Jack had heard the yelling &amp; came out just in time to see his son come through the front door, both men headed into the family area just in time to see Kelly launch herself into the arms of some marine officer.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at seeing his girl getting twirled around by this marine named Mikey, wait, Mike? Mike… as in Ex-boyfriend Mike? Hmmmmm…. He just kept watch.

"Hey KG" Mike smiled as he swept her up, seeing her had relaxed him again. He spun her around like he used to.

Kelly couldn't believe he was here! This was great!

Shannon had followed her daughter down the stairs &amp; couldn't help but be extremely surprised to see Mike. She had to smile though at the utter joy that her daughter had shown at seeing him, as well as the smile that was planted on not only Mike's face, but her son's too.

Mike had stopped the twirling &amp; just squeezed her tight "missed ya babe" he whispered.

"Missed you too monkey marine" Kelly replied in a whisper.

Shannon saw that while her son's grin was still showing, her husband was looking... well, yes, that will need dealing with. She then saw Kelly &amp; Mike finally pull apart &amp; she got her first look at him "well look at you mister, all grown up &amp; dashing as every" she smiled coming closer.

Mike swallowed looking at her, he could barely believe his eyes.

Shannon saw he was lost, she definitely understood why, but she didn't want them to go down that path right now, so she stepped up to him &amp; placed a finger over his lips "none of that, what's done is done. We live in the here &amp; now. And what I can see now is a very squared away marine, who'd do his mother so proud &amp; I know that because I am"

Mike just smiled as he went into a hug with her, gosh this was so surreal!

Shannon smiled as she gave him a hug "it's good to see you Mikey"

"Great to see you too Mrs G" Mike replied coming out of the hug, now that the initial awkward introduction was over, it was really great to see her!

Gibbs raised his eyebrow at the nickname Mike had used, Mrs G? Really?

"You haven't changed one bit" Shannon replied "but I think there's a few introductions we need to make"

Kelly suddenly got nervous, Mike meeting her dad? This'll be interesting! At some point she'll have to introduce him to Tim too, again fun times!

"Jethro, this Mike Bond" Shannon said motioning to her husband to step forward "Mike, this is Kelly's &amp; Phoenix's father Jethro" she was intrigued at how it would go, especially given his mood at the moment.

"Honour to meet you sir" Mike said formally extending his hand, he was shitting himself.

Gibbs eyed him, as he took the offered hand "Nice to meet you too Michael" he replied just as formally, giving the hand a firm shake &amp; held it.

Nix watched as the pair shook, his dad was obviously trying to see how much Mike could take, but to his credit Mike just held firm.

Kelly saw neither were going to stop this 'shake', she looked to her mum to help.

Shannon had to smile, yes when she told her husband he'd reminded her of him, she was right! So much alike! "ok, I think we've got one more introduction to do" she said finally being able to draw the 'shake' to a close.

"Jackson, this is Mike. Mike this is Jackson, Kelly's &amp; Phoenix's grandfather" Shannon said.

"Great pleasure to meet you sir" Mike greeted putting his hand out.

Jack had been trying to take in as much in about the boy as possible, he was fairly tall, probably just shorter than his son, light brown &amp; very short hair, brown eyes &amp; solid build, just like any marine would have. He had watched as Shannon had introduced Mike to his son, the boy had pulled himself to full height &amp; basically stood at attention, he could tell he was nervous. His son though wasn't letting him relax, holding that firm grip &amp; stare until Shannon had interrupted them. He was though impressed with Mike, he'd kept his stance &amp; grip never breaking, he wanted to be a little softer on the boy, he gave a small smile "Great pleasure to meet you as well Mike" he replied, giving a short, but firm handshake.

"Well, now that that's all done, why don't we sit down &amp; you can tell us why you came without warning young man?" Shannon asked with a hint a smile.

Mike caught the smile "only found out 2 days ago I was due to come to Naples, wanted to make it a surprise"

"and what a awesome surprise it is!" Nix grinned.

Jack could clearly see that Nix was just as excited to have Mike here as Kelly was, he just smiled as they all sat down at the dining table upon Shannon motioning them towards it.

Gibbs detoured into the kitchen, while he'd eaten at the office, he was still hungry &amp; he wanted something else to think about right now, apart from what happened during the day, apart from Mike too.

Shannon saw where her husband was heading "still hungry?"

Gibbs just nodded as he opened the fridge, he was but he didn't know what he was hungry for.

"What about some comfort food?" Shannon asked "Mac &amp; Cheese?" she suggested.

"Sounds good" Gibbs said, he surely needed it.

"Let me" Shannon offered, she turned "Mike, can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"No thanks Mrs G" Mike replied.

Shannon just eyed him "Young man, when was the last time you ate?" She knew him well enough to know that when it came to eating he'd never be one to say yes, but would skip meals when he got engrossed into something or too nervous about something.

Mike swallowed as he considered it "lunch time"

"That's what I thought, I thought you knew better than to skip meals mister" Shannon replied.

Mike could have replied with 'I'm a busy boy these days' or 'I was too nervous', but he just smiled, this was really weird, to see her alive &amp; well after all this time was weird, but great &amp; it instantly felt like it had all those years ago.

"How long you in town for?" Nix asked, taking a seat next to Mike.

"About a week, 10 days maybe" Mike replied "why?"

"Well, if my appeal goes through then I'm a shot at playing on the weekend, would be awesome if you could be there" Nix said, this would be awesome! As long as the appeal went their way.

"Appeal?" Mike asked curiously "wait! You mean you're actually already in the match day squad?" he asked shocked. he couldn't believe that Nix was really on the books of Napoli, it was just... nuts!

Nix grinned back.

Mike shoved Nix "Squirt!" he wanted an answer to both his questions.

Nix laughed "ok ok"

Shannon got the food together as the family went through the reason behind the appeal.

Mike couldn't believe what he was hearing, while it was hard to contemplate the fact that he'd made it onto the park in the first place, it sounded incredibly harsh "what does the club think your chances are?"

"Not sure, they're going to fight it tooth &amp; nail, me too. But the Italian FA aren't really known for ruling against the ref, even when it's totally obvious that they're wrong" Kelly sighed.

Gibbs was watching the interactions, he really wasn't counting on having to not only entertain, but entertain Mike tonight, he just wanted to eat &amp; then hit the rack with his wife &amp; release all the tension from the day. He knew his daughter would be comfortable around him, but couldn't help but notice how easily Nix was interacting with him. He knew they'd spent time together, but even so early on in the encounter they were really getting on so easily &amp; seemed so close.

"You're gonna help?" Mike asked "of course you are KG" he finished with a smirk "you know, I could always have a chat with the ref, just like with Miller" he offered with another smirk.

Kelly, who was sitting on his other side to her brother elbowed him in his chest &amp; gave him a 'shut up' look, she couldn't believe he said that! Especially in front of her mum.

Nix did his best to hide the smirk.

Shannon sat down across from Mike &amp; next to her husband eyed Mike "excuse me Mike? just like what chat you had with Coach Miller?"

Gibbs knew who Coach Miller was, he was Nix's under 12's soccer coach back in Houston, a man that had been a touch harsh with his comment to his son &amp; the other boys during their games.

"I commended him on the great job he did as coach" Mike answered sheepishly, whoops!

Shannon raised an eyebrow "and what exactly did you include in your commendation?"

"What does that matter now?" Kelly asked as she stood up &amp; headed to get some drinks "it's ancient history"

Mike decided his best defence would be to fill his mouth with food, so he just kept eating "you still make the best Mac &amp; Cheese around Mrs G" he commented.

"Thank you, but could this 'chat' have anything to do with why the man was suddenly reassigned to help coach the u17's in the middle of the season?" Shannon asked, she remembered thinking a change in the middle of the season was strange, even with the man ruffling feathers as he had.

Mike swallowed "KG, could I get a drink?"

"Juice or soda?" Kelly asked, maybe a change in topic would help?

"Juice please" Mike replied.

Shannon waited for the pair to be seated again "either of you going to answer the question?"

Nix couldn't help but smirk, he knew exactly what had happened, but it had been a secret between the trio.

Kelly sighed, she placed a hand on Mike arm's that was resting on the table "so he spoke to the guy after training one day, big deal" she patted his arm "and he did it in full military uniform... on his way home from the shooting range... with his weapon... with half his ROTC squadron, it's not really a big deal, is it?" she finished with a smirk.

Jack had been just sitting there watching it all unfold, he was intrigued about Mike &amp; his interactions with not only Kelly, but the others too. Hearing what he did though, he did his best to cover his chuckle with a cough, now that sounded familiar.

Shannon did all she could to not roll her eyes, she could see her husband though was doing his best to not smile &amp; just kept a blank look plastered on his face, she turned to him "let me guess, you approve?"

Gibbs flashed a look at her &amp; then at Mike, he could see the boy was now worried about his reaction "No, I don't" he said bluntly.

Mike swallowed, crap! Shit! What does he do now?

Kelly &amp; Nix both flashed each other a look of concern, they were sure their dad would have approved of how Mike handled it.

"You don't?" Shannon asked totally surprised.

"No, I would have taken the whole squadron" Gibbs answered, but only showing a small smile. He thought though, that was the perfect way to handle it.

"Of course you would have" Shannon replied, she looked at Mike &amp; then back to her husband, she really didn't know what to say "is that the only way marine's know how to handle things?"

"I didn't touch the guy!" Mike protested.

"Michael Bond!... since when do you need to touch a person to intimidate them?" Shannon asked.

"Can I help it if the guy found me intimidating?" Mike smirked.

"I give up" Shannon said standing up, she could now see her husband was fully showing his smile now.

Kelly smiled "I'm sorry, you're the one that wanted Nix to spent time with Mike"

"Yea! And we did have fun" Nix chimed in.

Mike just nodded, he didn't mind spending time with Nix, he was a funny kid.

"I know" Shannon smiled "Mike my boy, it's wonderful to see you &amp; while I'd love to stay &amp; chat, I'm pretty tired, so you'll have to excuse me. I trust we will see you again? Where are you staying?"

"Navy lodge, I'll have some more spare time here &amp; there, so I'll definitely be around" Mike replied.

"Well then, I look forward to seeing you soon, because we've got a lot of catching up to do" Shannon replied, as she took him into another hug "It's wonderful to see you"

Mike smiled "it's wonderful to see you too, I'm looking forward catching up"

Shannon nodded, she turned to her son "don't stay up too late Phoenix, big day tomorrow"

"I'm coming" Nix nodded "be seeing you soon Mikey" he smiled as he approached Mike &amp; held his hand out.

"Definitely squirt, good luck tomorrow" Mike replied as took the offered hand &amp; began their secret handshake.

"Impressed you two remember that" Shannon smirked.

Gibbs stood up, this small glimpse into Mike &amp; the way he interacted with his family had given him quite the insight into how it would have been back then, and he had to admit, he really liked the way Mike had handled that coach! "Look forward to seeing you again Captain"

Mike's eyes shot wide open in surprise "likewise sir" did that mean he liked him? Accepted him? He hoped so!

Gibbs nodded, he looked at his daughter "same comment your mother made to your brother"

"I know dad" Kelly nodded "we're just going to talk for a few more minutes"

"Great pleasure to meet you Michael, but like my son, I think I shall retire &amp; leave you kids to it. I'll see you again, I'm sure" Jack said.

"Pleasure's mine sir, I look forward to seeing you again" Mike replied.

"Ice Cream Mikey?" Kelly asked heading into the kitchen as her family all retired &amp; left them to it.

"Do you have to even ask?" Mike asked with a grin.

Kelly smiled "Nice to know you haven't changed"

Kelly dished the ice cream &amp; they headed to the lounge "take your jacket off, would hate for you to get it crumpled"

Mike smiled as he did so "that wasn't so terrifying"

Kelly chuckled "mum or dad?"

"Both, you know I was standing outside for a good half hour before Nix saw me?" Mike asked "I was beyond nervous"

"You don't get nervous Mike, isn't that what you always said?" Kelly asked.

"I know, but I did" Mike replied as he took a seat next to her.

"You ok now?" Kelly asked.

"Yea, I'm fine now" Mike answered "think you're dad might even be ok with me now"

"He was always going to be ok with you... monkey marine" Kelly smiled, though she had to admit, she had been a little nervous about it herself.

Mike grinned "gosh I've missed you Kells, we can't leave it so long between meets" he finished putting an arm around her.

"I know, 4 years, waaayy too long" Kelly answered, he'd become a really good friend.

"You ok?" Mike asked.

"I'm good, crazy couple of days but life's pretty great at the moment" Kelly replied, "So tell me, what brings you here? I thought you were stationed back in the US for once"

"Part of a task force that's assessing some of our bases for future strategic change" Mike answered "travelling the world &amp; still loving it!"

Kelly had been slouching on the couch, resting again him but promptly sat up &amp; looked at him "where'd you just come from?"

"Abu Dhabi, why?" Mike replied.

"Before that?" Kelly prodded, was he really apart of that task force?

"The UK, what's wrong Kell, you look... off" Mike replied, she was staring right at him &amp; looking off.

"Do you know a Commander Kaplan?" Kelly asked.

"Commander Patricia Kaplan?" Mike enquired, he drew a nod "sure I do, she's second in command of the task force. Why? You know her?"

"You know where she is?" Kelly asked instantly.

"She's on Emergency Leave, she left a few days into our stay in Abu Dhabi &amp; is scheduled to meet back up with us here in a few days, what's this about?" Mike finished, he really wasn't liking the look on her face.

Kelly just stared at him for a minute, she took a deep breath "Dad!" she yelled.

* * *

**A/N: Mike's definitely pretty close with Kelly still, and pretty close to Nix too, just how will Tim take this? But at least he was able to impress Gibbs? Would that be the word to use for how he handled that coach? lol**

**The fact that he works with Kaplan, that'll definitely lead to some interesting moments ahead! Just what can Mike tell them about her? **

**I'm about to start back at university so while I can't promise an update in the very near future, I will update this as soon as I can.**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! Sorry for delay, but as I said in the last chapter, I'm back at uni. I will try to update once a week for you fine folks! Hopefully study doesn't get in my way too much ;)**

**Guest Reviewer: Sue Dooely: Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**Guest Reviewer: None: The triangle with Kelly, Mike &amp; Tim, yea... that's going to be playing out, some jealousy may rear it's heads, they'll be feelings exchanged, and yea, maybe a girl putting some boys in their places! lol**

**To my latest followers/favourites, welcome aboard, so glad to have you with us on this continuing adventure! **

**Let's get straight into it! **

* * *

Gibbs had been in the midst of getting changed when he heard his daughter's scream, he quickly put his t-shirt back on &amp; bolted down the stairs, he was seriously concerned. Coming barrelling downstairs he saw that she was looking, well, not right "what's wrong?" he asked hastily.

Kelly flashed a look between the pair, both were looking at her with concern "Mike's on Task force Fit for Future"

Gibbs shifted his gaze to Mike, he was on that task force?

"How do you know it's name? And Kaplan? Kells..." Mike was getting more worried &amp; confused by the minute.

"Whats wrong?" Shannon asked rushing down the stairs, shed been in the bathroom.

Gibbs saw that not only had his wife come down, so had his son, his dad had even come out his room "nothings wrong as such" he took a breath "dad, you can go back to bed, you too Phoenix"

"Something's up, I can tell" Nix replied, he could see the looks on his sister's &amp; Mike's faces.

"Yes, but nothing is wrong, on the contrary, we might have gotten the break we've been looking for. Mike here works with Kaplan on the task force, so I need to speak to him, so up to bed please" Gibbs replied.

At this comment Mike felt the entire family's eyes gravitate towards him, how on earth did they know Kaplan?

It took a few minutes, but eventually Nix went back upstairs &amp; Jack headed back into his room. Shannon had to admit it wasn't that far of a stretch for her to think he'd be on the task force, he did after all study Building &amp; Construction Management at college.

"If I can ask what's going on?" Mike enquired.

"You remember me telling you about Tony DiNozzo?" Kelly asked, they'd spoken numerous times &amp; she'd told him all about her dad 's team.

"The movie nut with Italian background, going out with the Israeli chick, Ziva?" Mike replied wanting to make sure he had the right person.

Shannon had to smile "that's him"

"What about him?" Mike asked.

"We think he's Commander Kaplan's brother" Kelly replied

"Really?" Mike replied.

"Did you know she was adopted?" Shannon asked.

"No" Mike replied "She's a pretty private person to be honest, never one to really share details about her personal life"

"Do you know where she is? She wasn't listed on the flight manifest of the flight that the rest of the task force is on coming here" Gibbs asked, then thought of something "why aren't you on that flight?"

"Weren't enough seats on that flight, one of us had to fly in early so I volunteered, I got our billeting taken care of &amp; it gave me this chance." Mike answered his last question "Commander Kaplan took emergency leave 2 days into our stay in Abu Dhabi, scheduled to meet up with us here in 3 days"

"You know why she took it?" Gibbs asked.

"Apparently her son was rushed to hospital back home" Mike answered.

"Son?" Shannon asked, completely taken aback.

Kelly sighed, apart from her, Tim &amp; her dad, no one knew this information, guess that's changing! "She has a 12 year old son named Jacob, the father died 2 years ago in combat" she turned to her dad "that could explain why we couldn't contact them at their place? They could be at local hospital"

Gibbs nodded in agreement with his daughter, it made sense.

"Why you trying to find her? And how do you know she's Tony's sister?" Mike asked.

Gibbs, Shannon &amp; Kelly caught Mike up on what had transpired that day. Mike was at a loss to say the least.

"I..." Mike really was lost for words "I can't imagine what anyone wants with her, I've worked with her on a few things over the last couple of years &amp; she's never hurt a fly"

"You ever meet her family?" Shannon asked.

"Met Jake a handful of times, funny kid. But that's it." Mike replied

"Who does he live with?" Shannon enquired.

"Her, but his grandfather lives with them for when she has to travel. He's her dad, or well, adopted dad I guess. That's all I really know. Never met the guy, as I said, she's pretty private when it comes to her family" Mike replied.

Gibbs knew with this new insight he could get things moving again, they had more to work with, guess it was back to the office! Drats it was almost 02:00! he just sighed "I'm heading back in, we need to get going on this new stuff"

"Jethro, you're run off your feet, surely you can make a simple phone call to set things in motion, you need sleep. Otherwise you'll be useless tomorrow for more than just the hearing." Shannon replied as gently as possible, not to mention impossible to deal with!

"It will be easier if I can go in &amp; make sure things happen, I wont be long" Gibbs replied.

"I've heard **that one** before, no." Shannon replied, he wanted to dig his heels against her, good luck! "You aren't going anywhere, you need sleep in order to help with your mood! I don't want an entire agency running &amp; hiding in corners because they're afraid of you!"

Gibbs couldn't help himself, he let out a big smirk.

Mike had been watching this banter like a tennis match, he was truly intrigued by it.

Kelly just watched, she knew her dad wanted to make this new intel work for them &amp; fast, but her mum was right, he needed sleep, not even the Director's chat with him had eased him back to normal, it had helped, but not enough, she realised they shouldn't stick around "we're going upstairs"

"No" Gibbs disagreed "Mike's coming with me, his knowledge of Kaplan can help us" he finished.

"Which he can do here before we all get some sleep, neither of you are going" Shannon finished flashing a stern look between the pair.

Mike looked at Kelly, he needed help! What did he do? He knew what Shannon was like &amp; that he shouldn't go against her, but that would mean going against Gibbs, he wasn't sure he was willing to do that!

Kelly patted his arm "yea, I usually look for a third option" she whispered, she could see he was caught on who to obey.

"Where's your bathroom? Need to use the head" Mike whispered.

"Upstairs, first door on the right" Kelly replied, knowing full well why he 'needed' the bathroom. She watched as he made a beeline for the stairs.

Kelly though saw though both her parents giving her the eye "what? you seriously expect him to pick who's agreeing with? Who he will, as you put it dad 'obey'? He's not crazy!"

Shannon &amp; Gibbs couldn't help but share a smirk, no one ever seemed to be able to choose a side when they both dug their heels in.

* * *

Tim headed into the squad room, he wished he could have seen Kelly &amp; Nix before they went into the hearing, but they had to focus on the matter at hand. What he would do though was call before they went in, he'd leave that call a little longer before making it though, it was only 07:00 &amp; he wanted to give them a chance to sleep in perhaps.

"Morning McGee" Silva remarked.

"Morning Shaz" Tim replied, he noticed something though "how long you been in?" he could see she had a coffee cup already in the trash &amp; remnants of breakfast.

"Since 05:30" Silva replied.

That confused Tim "thought we agreed to meet back here at now, 07:00?" he asked.

Silva looked at him "oh we did, but..."

"Silva!" Gibbs barked "anything?"

"No boss, nothing" Silva replied, absolutely hating to give him such news.

Tim flashed a look between the pair, Gibbs was sounding like he was just continuing from yesterday's mood, though he was wearing different clothes, so he'd obviously made it home. He wondered what he was doing here though, the hearing?

Zuse had tried to keep his head down, wanting very much to stay out of Gibbs's war path, but he had to speak up "Ahh, I've got something"

Tim had to stow the surprise at seeing Zuse, he hadn't even noticed him before now, his head had been buried completely, he understood why, Gibbs on the war path, he often did likewise.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

Tim moved closer to Silva &amp; just looked at her.

Silva sighed "he called me at 05 &amp; said that me &amp; Zuse had to be in by 05:30. We've been following leads that he came across last night. He's apparently had only about 3 hours sleep!" she really wasn't able to work out how to deal with Gibbs in his current state.

"New leads?" Tim asked.

"What new leads?" Ziva asked walking in with Tony, she was surprised though to see the entire team already there.

Tony was also surprised to see his entire team in already, but his eyes then fell to marine officer now coming into the area.

Mike walked into squad area that was apparently Tony's, and he saw a trio of people he could only presume were Tony, Ziva &amp; Tim. He was mighty curious about Tim but stowed it for just a moment "your coffee sir" he said passing it to Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded as he took it "Zuse has your duffle" he remarked.

"Right here Captain" Zuse added, he'd been seconded to go to the navy lodge to get his stuff.

"Thank you" Mike replied, after crashing on their couch having a fresh uniform was welcomed.

"Silva catch them up &amp; remember what I said" Gibbs ordered before turning back to Zuse "you, get me more on that!"

"yes boss" Silva &amp; Zuse replied instantly. Silva knew what he meant, she'd been ordered not to mention who the marine officer was in the context of his family.

Gibbs then turned to Tony "DiNozzo, with me" he ordered, he motioned for Mike to follow as well.

Tony wasn't sure what was going on with this marine officer, he couldn't help but notice the flashing looks the guy kept giving Tim, he just followed the pair into Gibbs's office.

Gibbs led the pair into his office &amp; closed the door behind him, he took a breath "Tony, this is Captain Michael Bond, he's with the Fit for Future Task Force. Captain Bond, Supervisory Special Agent Tony DiNozzo"

Mike extended his hand "Pleased to meet you"

Tony extended his hand automatically "You too Captain" he knew there was something that he should have picked up on something, but what was it.. then it hit him "you're on task force..."

"Fit for Future, yes" Mike confirmed.

Tony just stared at the guy "You know?"

"Commander Kaplan? Yes, she's second in charge of the task force under Lt Col Morris" Mike said "I'm afraid though I don't know where she is, she took emergency leave a few days into our stay in Abu Dhabi"

"Why?" Tony asked.

Gibbs had to interrupt "Tony, remember what we spoke about yesterday?"

Tony looked at Gibbs, he knew exactly what he was talking about, but could he continue to keep himself in the dark? What if it meant missing something crucial? What if this stuff was the reason for her disappearance? "Don't think I can stay in the dark boss, I need to know anything that could possibly help, besides it will get too complicated trying to go through everything &amp; trying to keep me &amp; Ziva in the dark. Think it's time I know"

Gibbs could see Tony's point, trying to juggle the investigation while keeping some crucial details away from 2 of lead investigators wouldn't be easy, he resigned himself to having to tell him "ok, let's sit down"

Tony sat down "Ok, I'm ready" he said softly, he wasn't sure if he was or not.

"First thing I am going to tell you that she's currently based at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans" Gibbs told him.

"New Orleans?" Tony asked

"Yupp" Gibbs replied.

"It's where the task force HQ is based, we're onto our second lot of tours right now" Mike added.

"Next" Gibbs said, he carefully watched Tony as he shared this bit of news "she's got a son Tony, his names Jacob, he's 12 years old."

Tony's eyes widened "She's... I've..."

"A son, a nephew" Gibbs finished his thoughts, if... if she's confirmed as his sister, which he was betting was only a matter of time &amp; tests.

"A nephew" Tony whispered, he let out a smile at that "what's he look like?"

Mike saw Gibbs look at him "I've only met him a handful of times Tony, Commander Kaplan, Patrica, she's a pretty private person when it comes to her family, very private &amp; very protective."

Tony had dealt with similar people, one was sitting right across from him "know what that's like, but that doesn't tell me what he looks like" he replied to the captain.

"Ok then, he's got... brown hair, green eyes, kinda like yours actually" Mike said, taking a good look at Tony, he knew though who he was referring to - Gibbs!

Gibbs saw Tony smile at that &amp; was glad for it.

"She took emergency leave because..." Mike started, but released this may be better coming from Gibbs

"Tony, she took emergency leave because Jake got rushed to hospital" Gibbs finished gently, glad Mike had allowed him to tell him.

Tony didn't like that "why? what happened?"

"That's what I've got Silva &amp; Zuse looking into" Gibbs said "thanks to the information that Captain Bond has, we've been able to narrow our searches down. So far we've found out that Jake had been in hospital for a few days, he's working on getting more details as to why &amp; where they could possibly have gone from there."

"Ok, anything on..." Tony tried to ask.

"Zuse also found just as you got here that Patricia had actually used her personal passport to re-enter the US, she returned via JFK, straight from Abu Dhabi, so she's been state side for a solid week" Gibbs said interrupting him, he knew what he was going to ask anyway.

"Ok" Tony nodded.

"Let's get back downstairs, you can tell Ziva about it yourself" Gibbs suggested.

Tony liked that, but he wanted to know more "is he tall, short, solid, thin?" he asked the captain.

"Well, he's not short for his age, but he is fairly thin" Mike replied, while he didn't know what the normal height for a 12 year was, he did know what was short, because that's what Nix was.

"Is he tall then?" Tony asked.

"I'll be honest Agent DiNozzo, I don't know what's considered tall for a 12 year old, all I know is what's considered short &amp; Jake isn't short for his age" Mike replied flashing a look to Gibbs.

Gibbs looked at Mike "he grew"

"Yes sir he did" Mike replied "but he was short"

Gibbs raised his eyebrow "so was I"

Tony looked between the pair during their exchange, something dawned on him "wait a sec, Captain Bond, Michael Bond? As in..."

Gibbs &amp; Mike both turned to look at him.

"You are!" Tony exclaimed, oh boy! This guy, this guy was Kelly's ex from Houston, wow! He suddenly realised why he was giving Tim numerous flashing looks, oh this was going to be interesting!

* * *

**A/N: Hmm, so we've learnt a few things, 1) No one seems to know who to side with in the Shannon V Gibbs debate &amp; honestly? I think I'd go running too! 2) Tony apparently has a nephew! But just why did he get rushed to hospital? But where is he now? 3) Patricia is back in the US &amp; apparently, they live in New Orleans! But where is she? and finally 4) Tony's realised who Mike is! It's now time for Tim to meet Mike, so just how will that go?**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away! They inspire me to write, so keep 'em coming! More to come!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Here we are, another chapter folks! To my latest followers/favourties, I'm so happy to have you with us on this journey! To my reveiwers, thank you so much! I love hearing your comments, they truly inspire me &amp; bring a smile to face whenever I read them, so thank you!**

**To guest reviewers:**

**Sue Dooley: thank you! So glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

**I wonder: thanks for your comments, I can totally understand where your coming from, Tony's going into this &amp; trying to find her, and they don't even know what Patricia knows or if she's interested in her bioloical family. All they know is what she supposedly did &amp; that could be fake? I assure you that it's definitely something that will be dealt with when the time comes.**

**Now, I think it's time for Mike &amp; Tim to meet, don't you?**

* * *

Tony couldn't take his eyes off the guy now, everything else had been put the back of his mind as he tried to take everything in about him, he was definitely one tough looking marine, very squared away. Oh who was he kidding, this guy looked liked someone that could pummel almost anyone. He followed him &amp; Gibbs back down to his squad area, keen to see how things would go with Tim.

Gibbs knew that with the cat out of the bag, it would be almost impossible to keep 'who' Mike was a secret, even after having promised his girl that he wouldn't introduce them &amp; let her do it, thankfully that's when he saw her come off the lifts.

Kelly walked into the squad room, she saw her dad, Mike &amp; Tony all coming down the stairs, she smiled at them before heading over to Tim "Morning"

Tim was surprised to say the least to see her "Morning! What are you doing here? You should be on your way to the hearing soon no?"

Kelly smiled "just collecting dad" but she saw the look on Tony's face, had he worked out who Mike was? Guess she'd have to do the introductions pretty much straight away.

"Morning angel" Gibbs smiled "the other's downstairs?"

"yea, all ready &amp; raring" Kelly replied.

Gibbs nodded, he then flashed a look around, he had to admit, he was intrigued at what was about to occur, he also could see that Tony was feeling just as intrigued.

Tim again felt the weight of the stare that the marine captain was giving him, he wondered why this guy was interested in him so much.

Kelly took a deep breath &amp; went stood near Mike "Guys, there's someone I want you to meet. This is marine Captain Michael Bond, he's apart of the Fit for Future task force &amp; is a good friend of mine"

Tim's eyes widened at who this guy was, this was her ex from Houston? this was him? Not only had he filled out since he was in college, but he looked even more of a tough guy than he thought possible. He just watched as Kelly introduced him to the team, he brought himself to his full height wanting to try to prove that he was just as tall &amp; built, well, maybe not as built.. but still.

Kelly had made all the introductions, except one, she saw that Tim had worked out just who Mike was "Mike, this is Senior Field Agent Tim McGee, Tim this Captain Michael Bond"

Tony watched as Tim &amp; Mike gave each other firm stares, he saw Ziva hadn't worked it out, he was right to her &amp; whispered "Bond, Mike Bond, Kelly's ex from Houston"

Ziva looked at Tony surprised, she then realised just why Tim was looking like he was.

"Good to meet you Agent McGee" Mike said formally, with his hand out awaiting the handshake.

"Likewise Captain Bond" Tim replied, as he reached for the handshake.

Kelly gave her dad a look, both of them were still staring at each other, she wasn't sure what to do next.

Gibbs could very well see that both Mike &amp; Tim were just standing there staring at each other, both were clearly trying to make the other flinch first. "Given his status on the task force in working with Commander Kaplan, Captain Bond has been assigned to help us out until we clear this up"

Mike was curious about the guy &amp; wanted to test something "Guubess Ubi'll bube ubarubound fubor uba whubile" he stated looking Tim squarely in the eye.

"Uba whubile ubisubn't lubong ubenubough tubo wuborruby mube" Tim replied confidently after a minute of working out what he had to say to reply. He was shocked though that this guy knew a language like this! This marine tough guy knew a geek style language? Ok then!

Mike raised his eyebrow impressed, but still "Ubi'm lubookubing fuborwubard tubo bubeubing ubabuble tubo cubatch ubup wubith KG &amp; thube squubirt quubite uba bubit" he said, he wondered if he could rile him.

"Ubi'd subay thubat wube'll bube tuboo bubusuby tubo hubave mubuch tubime fubor thubat" Tim replied, tensing a little, this wasn't the easiest conversation he was having &amp; it had been a while since he'd last spoken this language.

Tony was utterly confused at the language they were speaking, it wasn't really a grunting language so he knew it couldn't be Vulcan, which he knew Tim knew &amp; it wasn't pig latin, that one he knew. He could see he wasn't alone in confusion, everyone, barring Kelly was looking utterly confused.

Kelly was shocked, she knew that they both could speak well, gibberish, at least a dialect of it, she'd learnt that during some more interesting moments with each of them. But to do it in the manner &amp; scene here like they were doing, where did she go with that? They were still just standing there staring at each, neither were giving an inch "Ubare yubou twubo dubone? Mubaybe yubou shubould gubet uba ruboom?"

Mike &amp; Tim both looked at her at the same time.

"Guess he'll do" Mike commented.

"I'll do?" Tim asked feeling quite put out, who'd this guy think he was?

"That's what I said wasn't it?" Mike retorted

Tim took a step forward wanting to retort back but got stopped.

"Boys, enough!" Kelly interjected as she manoeuvred herself between them, she looked at them both "behave! Or... else"

"Just having some fun, all's good" Mike took a step back giving her a smile, he turned back to McGee "I'm impressed with your gibberish"

Tim watched him retreat "that dialect is actually called Ubbi Dubbi"

"I'm aware" Mike replied, he turned to Kelly again "got my phone by any chance?"

"Yes, you left it charging in the kitchen" Kelly replied passing it to him.

Tim had watched that exchange &amp; wondered why she have his phone? Why had it been charging in their kitchen?

Kelly saw Tim's curiosity, best to get the explanation out of the way "Mike came ahead of the task force to secure billing at the lodge. He had some spare time last night &amp; surprised us at our place. We then made the connection between him &amp; Patricia, so we ended up going through quite a bit before we all crashed for a few hours. At 05 this morning dad &amp; Mike got back up &amp; headed in to try to get things going again"

Mike saw he was getting stared at by Tim, he'd give the guy a break "I crashed on the couch mate"

That made Tim feel mildly better, none the less as he was standing in front of his desk with Kelly right next to him, he pulled her close before replying "surprised you didn't go back to the lodge, what with it only 5 minutes away"

"Wasn't allowed to" Mike replied eyeing him "got veto'd from going anywhere. Mrs G wanted to make sure I got as much sleep as possible, given we were getting back up so soon"

Tony had been watching on, just like everyone else, with utter curiosity, though he saw that Silva &amp; Zuse were even more confused given they didn't know the history, but the title he'd just used for Shannon had caught him off guard, he called her Mrs G? That was so... casual compared to the Mrs Gibbs or ma'am they all had to address her as. He saw that while Ziva was surprised at the title Tim was looking put out by that very difference.

Kelly knew what they were both doing, Tim was trying lay claim to her, he was squeezing her to death! Mike on the other hand, was trying to show how close he was to her mum, trying to rile him, she extricated herself from Tim's hold "I'm going now, I'm not going to come back &amp; find you both with bumps &amp; bruises am I?"

"Left my boxing gloves at home KG" Mike smirked.

"As if that makes any difference" Kelly retorted "behave!"

Kelly turned back to Tim "play nice, please" she leaned in closer "I'm with you remember? So chill!" she finished giving him quick peck on the lips.

Tim smiled &amp; returned to kiss, keenly aware that Mike was watching, he had to admit, he was feeling a lot more confident now that she'd made the move to kiss him in front of Mike. Coming out of the kiss "Ok, I'll play nice"

Kelly rounded &amp; looked at Mike &amp; gave him a good stare.

Mike smiled holding his hands up "I surrender! I know that look"

Kelly grinned.

"Know that one too" Mike remarked

"Ow shush you!" Kelly retorted.

Gibbs had had to take a few steps back, he really wasn't sure how to handle this. That language they were speaking he'd had no idea what it was, he'd never heard it before &amp; had no idea what they were saying. But having the two of them standing toe to toe both trying assert themselves, it was a strange sight, especially considering the common denominator was his daughter. His daughter he thought, time to put both of them in their places!

Gibbs stepped forward &amp; put a hand on his daughter's back "we're leaving, keep going on everything. Anything urgent comes up, my phone's on silent, just message me" he finished as he moved his hand to his daughter's far arm &amp; brought her into his side, he then looked to Tim &amp; Mike "you two... " he started but he was actually lost for words.

Kelly looked up to her dad &amp; wondered what he was going to say, she knew though what he was doing, he was trying to show both of them who in her dad's mind she 'belonged to'.

"Sir?" Mike questioned "Boss?" Tim asked.

Gibbs looked again between them "park whatever this is for another time, there's more important things to concentrate on"

Mike &amp; Tim flashed each other a look, he was right. They just nodded, knowing full well this wasn't over, but would have to be picked up at a later time.

* * *

Shannon sat right between her daughter &amp; husband, Jack was on his other side &amp; all of them were in the front row of the gallery at the tribunal. They were right behind the desk where Nix sat with the club's representatives, being the Club Counsel Mr Tevez &amp; the team Manager Mr Alvez. The hearing had been going for well over 30 minutes &amp; thus far the bureaucratic nonsense had basically meant so far all that had happened was an explaining of the event, the current ban &amp; the possible outcomes, when were they going to get to actually being able to argue the case? She could see her husband was clearly feeling the strain just like her.

Kelly listened as Tevez started the case for dismissing her brother's red card, he showed the video footage, which clearly shows that Nix was in the right &amp; the referee was in the wrong. A referee who wasn't actually present! She couldn't believe the man wasn't there to defend his decision, that just pissed her off! She wanted to meet this man!

Tevez could already tell which way this hearing was going, there was a good chance they wouldn't increase the ban, but they'd keep the automatic one match ban in place, which normally is better than nothing. He knew though that the reserve team's depth was down to the bare bones &amp; they desperately needed Phoenix cleared to be able to play on the weekend.

Tevez then had an idea "Se si vuole, il vostro onore vorrei chiedere Ms Kelly Gibbs a dire poche parole, credo che lei potrebbe aggiungere qualcosa di valido da questa udienza" he spoke humbly (If it pleases you, your honour I would like to ask Ms Kelly Gibbs to say a few words, I believe she could add something valuable to this hearing)

Jack watched as the trio presiding over the matter shared some looks &amp; nodded. He wasn't quite sure what had been said, but he understood his granddaughter's name, so he presumed Tevez was asking if she could speak.

Kelly was glad that Tevez had asked for her to speak, she'd give them a piece of her mind! She saw though the look her parents were giving her, it was a 'behave yourself' look.

"If you would prefer you may speak english" Judge Ancelani offered

Kelly put on her best lawyer smile "Non necessario, il mio italiano è più che sufficiente per vedere attraverso di me" (Not necessary, my Italian is more than adequate to see me through)

Ancelani looked at her surprised, he wasn't expecting to her sound so fluent "A lei la parola" (You have the floor"

"Grazie" Kelly smiled (thank you) Here &amp; now, like many times since moving to Naples she had to like the fact that her mum had pushed her into so many extra classes when she was at school, her Italian classes were definitely paying off now!

Gibbs watched as Kelly got some papers out of her briefcase, he prayed she'd able to do it, because from what he understood, they weren't likely to agree to the rescinding of the red card thus far.

"Non ho intenzione di preoccuparsi di parlare di motivi per revocare il cartellino rosso, sappiamo tutti che non era una carta di reato rosso" Kelly began (I'm not going to bother to talk about reasons to rescind the red card, we all know that it wasn't a red card offence)

Nix watched as the trio of officiators looked at his sister a little surprised, he knew this was going to be good! He sat back &amp; just watched as the show begun.

* * *

**A/N: Ow! So the meeting was interesting! Who knew that those 2 guys could speak well, gibberish &amp; yes, that will be explained. How will the 2 boys go getting along? **

**And just how will Kelly go with those judges? Can she do anything to help the cause or will she well, loose her temper.**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More to come!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my latest followers/favourties, welcome! To all my reviewers, thank you so much! I love hear your thoughts! &amp; am so glad you're all loving this still. I know that it's been a bit longer than I said, over a week, but pesky life seems to get in the way. Again, I will try to update as regularly as I can, but I will have to ask for your paitence! **

**To my reviewers, I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to you individually as I normally do, but I'm super busy &amp; super tired &amp; I just want to get this chapter up! Thanks again &amp; I will try to get to the replies tomorrow!**

**Now, let's get right into it.. **

* * *

"Listen up" Tristan called as she headed into the bullpen "Local LEO's have located our fakers" she was glad that they'd caught a break, though she wasn't sure if it was a good one or not.

Kruse &amp; Donnelly's ears picked up instantly at the news, though they were hardly alone.

Tristan knew that under normal circumstances Gibbs would be handling this part of things, but she understood why he had to go to the hearing &amp; honestly, she wanted to lead this charge just as much as anyone.

"We've found them?" Tim asked as he looked up, he was quite surprised, but glad! A Break! He shared a look of relief with Ziva.

"Yes, but unfortunately they're not available for interrogation" Tristan replied "they're dead"

"What! Where? How?" Kruse asked, though he wanted to scream! He had wanted a piece of these men! He &amp; Donnelly's teams had been burning the candle looking for them!

"Local LEO's found their bodies down in Parco di Villa Floridiana" Tristan replied "they saw our BOLO's &amp; called us. Kruse, Donnelly, I want one of you down there with the majority of your teams, I want that scene processed ASAP! I've got one of NATO ME Team's meeting you there, we need to know who they are!" she was frustrated that they hadn't been able to work out their identities thus far.

Donnelly &amp; Kruse nodded "yes ma'am"

Ziva watched as Tony seemed to digest the news, she would have expected something, anything, but he just sat there, as if he was expecting this, she'd have to talk to him.

Tristan saw the pair join heads to work out the personnel issues, her eyes cast over to the Marine Officer sitting with Tony "you must be Captain Bond, Deputy Assistant Director Tristan" Gibbs had given her a heads up about him, both in relation to the task force &amp; otherwise.

Mike rose to greet her "Pleased to meet you ma'am"

"I believe you're with us for the duration?" Tristan asked.

"yes ma'am, the Colonel has okayed me remaining here until we locate Commander Kaplan, he's promised any resources we need in order to locate her, he's on his way in to speak with you personally"

"Yes, I received his call a little while ago" Tristan replied, she turned to Tim "Any news?"

"We're having privacy issues with the hospital, they're refusing to give us information about why Jacob was admitted &amp; the details as to when/where he went after he was discharged" Tim reported.

"Stay on it" Tristan replied "have we been able to locate…" she had gone to continue but saw the Gibbs clan all disembark the lift, she was curious "So? How'd it go?"

Gibbs &amp; Shannon shared a look, they couldn't say they weren't happy, because they were, but they were also annoyed.

Nix grinned "I'm playing on the weekend"

"Congratulations" Tristan offered, she was sure that would have them all extremely happy, but the looks on Gibbs &amp; Shannon didn't show that. While the senior Gibbs look slightly amused.

"That's great Phoenix!" Tim smiled, seemed they were able to appeal successfully, he wondered if Kelly had anything to do with it, she was looking well, a little sheepish.

Mike saw &amp; heard numerous people smile &amp; give a 'yea!' in return across the floor, he was however stoked! "That's awesome squirt! Looking forward to match day!"

Silva's eyes widened at the marine, he was using the nickname Kelly had for him, she'd been updated on his status as ex-boyfriend, but it seemed liked he was in category as 'still friends' &amp; not just with Kelly, but Phoenix too!

Nix grinned "and so you should, I'm starting!"

"Starting?" Tony asked surprised

Mike looked at Nix in shock, he was starting? "you're…. you're…."

Nix just grinned even harder, it was so satisfying to see him lost for words "I… am….. starting" he said slowly emphasising each word for Mike "think the coach likes me"

Mike shared a look with Kelly, really? Already?

Kelly shrugged "I'm right there with you!" she'd nearly fallen off her chair when she heard the coach tell her brother he was starting Friday night's game.

Shannon smiled at the shock on Mike's face, she had to admit though she was pretty shocked as well!

"So the appeal went well then?" Ziva enquired.

Gibbs eyed his daughter as he answered her "no"

Everyone stared at Gibbs in shock.

"Oh come on dad, it went well" Kelly countered "Nix got off, aaaannnnnd I got a new job! I'd say that was a pretty good outing, no?" she finished with a sly grin.

"New job?" Tim asked surprised, where'd that come from? She was happy where she was.

"A new consulting position" Kelly clarified.

Ziva saw though that Gibbs &amp; Shannon were just eyeing their daughter "what kind of consulting position?" she asked gently.

Nix smiled "The club's asked Kells to join their legal staff in a consultative fashion, they were…." he stopped for a moment's pause before continuing "pleased that she was able to secure the rescindment of my red card &amp; want her to come on board to help with future cases"

Mike saw Gibbs &amp; Shannon were boring a hole through Kelly's head, he'd seen that look on Shannon before &amp; got a sense at what she did "you didn't go… well, like you did in the mock trial, did you?"

Shannon looked at Mike "I'm so glad someone else remembers that! Because yes, that's exactly what she did!"

Mike's eyes widened at his friend "you didn't?"

Tristan had to admit, she was a little surprised at the ease of interacts between the Captain &amp; the Gibbs family, even though she knew the connection, it had been years ago! He must have really made impressions on them all back then.

Kelly gave him a very sheepish look before replying "the judges were biased idiots &amp; I wasn't as bad as I was back then, I've learnt self-control" she said confidently.

Tim wondered just how bad she'd gone off, he'd only seen her loose her cool once in a court setting &amp; according to Nix, it was nothing compared with previous ones.

"If that was self-control, then I'd hate to imagine what it would have been like without it young lady!" Shannon retorted

"I don't see what the big deal is, the club are cool with everything, Nix got cleared &amp; is actually starting, starting the match! And I've got a new job, can we not focus on the positives?" Kelly asked trying to turn the focus off her antics from the proceedings.

"Yea!" Nix chuckled.

"We are happy about the positives, but we're not going to forget about the negatives young lady" Shannon replied.

Mike saw Kelly come &amp; perch herself between him &amp; Tim "so does this new position pay anything or you in it for the glory?" he asked

"I get a monthly retainer contractor fee" Kelly replied.

Gibbs had remained mostly silent part of him was still shocked at what had happened "now Michael, ask her when she'll see a paycheck from it"

Mike looked at Gibbs surprised that he was referred to by his first name, but he looked at his friend, he saw a look &amp; knew what he was getting at "how much this time?"

"It's the record!" Nix chuckled.

Mike flashed a look at Nix before looking back at Kelly "that's impossible!" he knew what her previous record was &amp; it wasn't small!

"Oh that's what we thought" Gibbs remarked

"You got fined?" Tim asked gently, he'd heard about some of her previous fines, so he was also surprised at the news. He was also trying to work his way into the conversation, which seemed to be Mike &amp; the family, he wasn't really happy about that.

"The clubs paying it" Kelly replied "half's coming out of my retainer" she offered a moment later.

Mike realised why Gibbs &amp; Shannon were looking annoyed "do I even want to know?"

Nix leaned into him &amp; whispered "it's beaten the previous record by two thousand"

Mike's eyes widened "you got fined eight thousand dollar?!" he asked in shock.

Tony's eyed widened in shock &amp; he knew he wasn't alone, everyone was staring at Kelly in utter shock!

Kelly bit her lip &amp; just smiled "kinda"

"Kelly Anne, there is no kinda about it, they fined you €8,000 in contempt fees &amp; it's not even a proper court!" Gibbs replied

"It's probably a good thing that it wasn't a proper court otherwise you may have been remanded for that display! And that is a record I do not wish you to have" Shannon added.

Mike just eyed Kelly carefully.

Tim was utterly flabbergasted, they'd fined her €8,000? What did she do? Tell them all to go to hell? Assault them? What would constitute a fine so large? He was still though getting his head around those kind of sums being bandied around in common talk, which is exactly what happened amongst lawyers.

Kelly eyed Mike back, praying beyond anything he'd keep his trap shut, that couldn't come out! She turned to her parents "look, the club said if I hadn't spoken, the red card would have stood. So they were more than happy to share the cost of the fine as long as Nix got to play &amp; if I'm honest, I think I was merely saying what we all wanted to say &amp; I really think that the fact that I lost it all in Italian just shows how much I'm grasping the new language."

"Oh don't even go there!" Gibbs &amp; Shannon both retorted, they smiled though at their unison on the matter.

Jack had been watching on, he had to admit his shock at what his granddaughter had done, even though he didn't understand exactly what she was saying, he got the gist well enough, but she was right, she was only voicing what they all wanted to &amp; it did get him off.

"She's got a point though" Nix chuckled, he'd been impressed by his sister's ability to lose it all in Italian.

"Yes, and you have somewhere to be, so let's get home so you can change" Shannon replied.

Nix nodded, he patted Mike on the shoulder "got training, but come by tonight, bit of one on one?"

Mike smiled "you bet, let's see where your skills are at"

"I'll beat you" Nix smirked.

"Never done thus far" Mike retorted.

Ziva watched as Nix headed off, it was easy enough for anyone to see that not only did Kelly have a close relationship with Mike but so did Nix, he was close with both of them.

"I apologise for disrupting the place Megan" Shannon offered.

Tristan smiled "what's a bit of… well, good news &amp; a surprise to break the day up" she really didn't know what else to say, she couldn't believe that Kelly had been fined €8,000, what had she done in the hearing?

"Yes well, the surprise we could have done without" Shannon replied, she looked at Kelly "try to behave for the rest of the day" all she got was a smirk in return, she turned to Mike "I expect to see you tonight for dinner mister"

"Sure thing Mrs G" Mike smiled

Tim &amp; Tony both flashed each a look, he was referring to her so casually &amp; Gibbs was ok with it?

Gibbs bided his wife, son &amp; dad farewell &amp; turned to Tristan "so anything?"

"Let's talk upstairs" Tristan offered.

Tony watched the pair head up, before he pulled his chair closer to Kelly "ok, dish!" he wanted to hear all the details!

Kelly chuckled "I said it like I saw it"

Mike just shook his head "yea, so I'm guessing you said something like…. I can see that you're a blind idiot who's so bent on his ways that you're unwilling to budge…. Am I close to where you started?"

Kelly grinned "No, didn't start with that"

"Well, they were blind if they weren't going to rescind the card" Silva pointed out

"Thank you Shaz" Kelly smiled "see, I was merely pointing out fact"

"You don't have to convince us Kells" Tim commented, he was a tad annoyed that Mike had managed to steer this conversation.

"I know, I'm merely saying that they fined me for speaking the truth, if not a little unpleasantly" Kelly admitted.

Mike smirked as he stood "I'm so glad you haven't changed KG, you're still the firefly I know &amp; love"

Ziva saw Tim tense at Mike's comment, clearly not liking it!

"What fun would it be to change?" Kelly asked.

Mike had seen his CO enter the area, but he quickly turned to her "none" he walked right up to his CO "morning sir"

"Morning Captain, where's Deputy Assistant Director Tristan?" Morris asked.

"This way sir" Mike replied &amp; led his CO up the stairs.

Kelly shared a smile with him as he headed up &amp; just then the phone rang "Kelly Gibbs" she answered.

Tim watched Kelly as she spoke on the phone, when she hung up "you ok?" he was concerned that she might be trying to internalise some of the angst from getting fined, she seemed so... fine about it.

"Yea, but I've gotta high tail it, emergency with one of my clients, sorry guys" Kelly replied, she had planned on hanging around for a little while longer, but guess that wasn't happening anymore.

"Ahh ok" Tim replied, they'd hardly caught up on what happened "can I give you a lift?" he wanted to speak with her.

"No need, I've got the car" Kelly replied "I'll check in at lunch time with you guys, sooner if I hear anything, but can you walk me to the car?" she smiled at Tim.

Tim felt a little relief "Sure"

Kelly could see Tim wasn't quite himself as they entered the lift, she came up with an idea, reaching forward she flicked the emergency stop "we need to talk"

Tim couldn't help but smile, this was a first, she'd never done her dad's lift trick before "ok?"

"Are you ok?" Kelly asked.

"Surprised you're not more upset at the fine" Tim admitted.

Kelly just smiled "I saw it coming &amp; really, my share is only four thou, so it's pretty acceptable"

"What did you do?" Tim asked, there it was again, a four thousand dollar fine acceptable? His mind boggled at that!

"We don't have time for my full blown blow-by-blow account, but lets just say, I provided them numerous chances to accept the decision to rescind before I shared my true feelings" Kelly finished with a smirk.

"You'll tell me later?" Tim asked.

"Tonight?" Kelly asked but she didn't even wait for answer before continuing "now before I go, are you sure there's nothing else wrong? You're still hung on Mike being here are you?" she asked as wrapped her arms around his neck &amp; smiled.

Tim would have said yes, but staring into her eyes as she looked straight into his soul, he knew there was no real basis for that kind jealousy "No, no jealousy"

Kelly smiled "good" she replied giving him a quick kiss &amp; restarted the lift "you're coming for dinner tonight, no exception, or distractions" she didn't want there to be any cause of jealousy about Mike being there &amp; not him.

Tim smiled "yes ma'am"

* * *

**A/N: Hmm... me thinks Kelly may still have 'splaining to do! But at least she got Nix off! And he's starting! Dinner should be an interesting affair!**

**We did however learn something important, those fakers are no longer in the land of the living! What will we learn from demise?**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More to come**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I'mm baaacccckkk! Exams over, let winter break commence! Thank you for sticking with me! It's much appreciated :) To my recent followers/favourites, welcome aboard this wonderful ride! I truly can't wait to keep going!**

**This chapter is a bit of a detour from the main story line, I needed some fun after a lengthy absence to get me back into the mind frame of this verse. I'm hoping you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! We'll learn an interesting thing or two, as well as see some silly behaviour. Also to re-confirm, this story is currently taking place in December 2013, so the reference to EPL (English Premier League) has this as being the point in time discussed. **

**Now, I know you've been patiently waiting, so let's get straight into it!**

* * *

"Come on Phoenix! Use your upper body strength! Shield it!" Mike encouraged.

Nix did his best to maintain control of the ball as Mike tried to get it, he turned on his favoured right foot &amp; struck the ball, yes! He grinned at Mike.

Mike smiled "Nicely done, but try that on your left foot now" he replied, knowing full well his left foot was weaker.

Gibbs had pulled his work car up into their driveway &amp; was leaning against it as he watched the pair, there was nice little park in the cul-de-sac area of their street &amp; they'd marked out a small one-on-one pitch area. He could tell they were both concentrating hard, but there was also smiles planted on both of them, they were clearly enjoying themselves.

Gibbs knew that Mike was one of the first older males to show his son any kind of affection &amp; attention. As a result his boy had clearly created a special bond with the guy, he remembered the countless stories that his boy told him that included Mike whether it was with his mum &amp; sister, just the boys &amp; Kelly, and even the odd one where it was just the pair of them. That bond was on clear display in front of him.

His eyes then cast to his girl, she was sitting on the small picnic table on the other side of the small park, she had some kind of paperwork in her lap &amp; was busy writing, but every once in a while she looked up to the pair playing &amp; would call out something like "foul" or "penalty", she was clearly playing referee.

"Gibbs" Marks greeted as he too arrived home.

Gibbs looked over "Marks"

"Who's that?" Marks asked motioning to the park &amp; the person with his neighbour's kids.

"Marine Captain Michael Bond, on the Fit for Future Taskforce, but he's also…" Gibbs began to explain.

Marks saw his hesitation "also who?"

"Kelly's ex from when they were at college in Houston" Gibbs finally said, he hated speaking about Houston.

Marks's ears peaked at this, for one Gibbs had mentioned Houston &amp; that was usually 'no go' territory, for the other this guy was on that task force? He'd heard about what was going on with Tony &amp; had known of the Taskforce's visit, in fact he was due to hold a meeting with them first thing in the morning. He saw though that Gibbs was still trying to work him out "I could run the rule over him for you"

Gibbs flashed Marks a look, part of him would welcome that, wanting to see exactly what he was made of "I'll let you know" he would have continued but he'd gotten distracted by his daughter's loud comment..

"Hey Monkey!" Kelly called, knowing full well that he was so engrossed in the game she'd have to be loud to get his attention, once he looked up to her she continued. "Gladiator's on the phone"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, Monkey? Gladiator?

"Think I may run the rule over a certain marine" Marks remarked.

Mike took the phone &amp; quickly looked across to Nix "Squirt my laptop's on your sister's bed, go answer my Skype account, there's someone that wants to chat" he grinned.

Nix grinned "awesome!" he headed for the house &amp; saw his dad &amp; Col Marks "hey dad, hey Col Marks"

"Nix" Marks greeted.

"Who's on Skype for you?" Gibbs asked, who was Gladiator?

"Mike's younger brother Max" Nix answered "gotta scoot!" he called back, he didn't want to miss the chance to Skype with Max.

Shannon opened the door just in time for Nix to come bursting through "slow down!" she called after him, but he'd already bolted up the stairs, she saw her husband approach "he's?"

"Skype with Max, or Gladiator…. Mike's brother.." Gibbs answered.

Shannon smiled "how lovely, I was going to ask for Mike's help with something, but seeing as you're home, you'll do, come on" she said &amp; then motioned towards her daughter &amp; Mike "give them some privacy please"

"Ian, are Maggie &amp; the kids still back stateside?" Shannon asked Marks.

"They get back tomorrow" Marks answered.

"Then join us for dinner &amp; I won't accept no for an answer" Shannon declared.

"I'd love to join you" Mark replied, but he shared a smirk with Gibbs, between them they could assess Mike a lot better.

Shannon flashed a look between the pair "might I request that you go easy on Michael please, he's an outstanding marine officer that is very good friends with Kelly &amp; cares greatly about her &amp; Phoenix"

"You can always request Shannon" Marks smiled.

Gibbs laughed but saw the look he was getting from his wife "**I'll** go easy" he grinned as he headed inside, though he was still going to press a few things with Mike, including those nicknames.

* * *

Mike sat himself down on the bench where Kelly was "So, how's that going?" motioning to the paperwork in her lap.

"I ever tell you how much loooveee paperwork" Kelly groaned.

"Yes, you love it about as much as the rest of us!" Mike chuckled

"I'm sorry but the level of paperwork required for JAG courts is like almost double from civvie courts, this is ridiculous!" Kelly said holding the whole pile up.

"Well, just make sure you fill it all in completely, would hate for you to get the chance to compare notes on what JAG holding cells are like in comparison to civvie ones" Mike smirked.

"Shut that trap!" Kelly said, whacking him on his upper arm with the pile of paperwork. She was just glad her parents were both inside.

"Ouch!" Mike chuckled.

"Serves you right! I seem to recall getting you to swear yourself to secrecy!" Kelly remarked sternly.

"Thought there were no secrets in your family KG, you know F4 &amp; all" Mike replied.

"This they don't need to know, Nix doesn't even know!" Kelly replied.

"I know he doesn't, I was the one who babysat him while you were there Kells" Mike pointed out.

"You were due for boy's time anyway" Kelly remarked.

"I was in town for 72 hours &amp; looking forward to seeing the pair of you, instead I found myself having to come up with a sudden plan to keep your just 17 year old brother entertained &amp; distracted for 12 hours so he'd be none the wiser as to where you got to!" Mike retorted.

Kelly huffed "Well it wasn't my fault, that bitch of a woman…"

"Takes two to tango" Mike interrupted "you acted exactly like you did back in the mock trial, so maybe it was a good thing you weren't in a proper court today"

Kelly just glared.

"Don't give me that look Kell, you know I'm right" Mike smiled before he turned serious "she pissed you off, and you allowed her to get under your skin &amp; met her halfway. I'm just glad the judge didn't put it down on the record &amp; just did as a warning, I'd have thought that you would have maybe learnt to watch yourself &amp; how far you go" he didn't want that to happen again, he'd been there for it &amp; it wasn't pretty in the slightest.

"I did learn from that" Kelly replied "I refocused myself, spent some time at the Dojo…."

"Dedicated time there? And did the Masters know why?" Mike asked, he knew that if she was there more than usual the instructors, or those considered Master's would take note.

"Yea, I told Master Kryn, he wasn't really impressed" Kelly admitted "we spent time meditating as he tried to help me control my reactions, it helped" though that was understatement he'd been extremely upset with her &amp; she'd suffered the consequences as a result.

"I bet he wasn't, cause I wasn't" Mike added "you ever seen that lawyer again?"

"No, and I hope I never see her ever again" Kelly replied as she hopped up, after the battle in the courtroom &amp; the 12 hours with her, she never wanted to lay eyes on the woman again!

"What was her name again?" Mike asked in cheek.

"M Allison Hart" Kelly answered as she picked up the ball "now, 10 bucks that I score against you" she needed to move her thoughts onto something totally different.

Mike ginned "you're on!"

* * *

Gibbs was looking out the front window, he could see the pair had been in a serious discussion, but they were now playing one-on-one themselves, or something along those lines.

"Jethro! The extension table, please… I'd like us to be able to set the table" Shannon asked from the kitchen, she'd already asked him 10 minutes ago &amp; he'd just planted himself at the window.

Gibbs nodded, but instead of going to the garage he opened the front door, his daughter &amp; Mike were now arm in arm in hysterical laughter "Michael!" he barked.

Mike had grabbed Kelly and flung her 180 degrees to prevent her from scoring, they were laughing when he heard an all too familiar marine bark that had his name attached to it, he's head shot up to see Gibbs staring at him. He instantly let go of Kelly &amp; trotted over to him dutifully "sir?" he asked formally.

"I need a hand inside moving the tables around for dinner &amp; getting the extension from the garage" Gibbs instructed.

"Yes sir" Mike agreed &amp; headed inside instantly.

Kelly approached her dad as she saw Mike head inside "you don't have bark like a DI dad, a simple excuse me &amp; request for help would do the job just the same" she went to go past him &amp; saw her mum standing down the hall when a thought came to her, she turned back &amp; grinned to her dad "you do realise that Mike actually outranks you, don't you? He's the officer.."

"She has a very valid point" Shannon smirked, she saw that Mike had just walked out of the garage with the extension "Michael?"

"Mrs G?" Mike asked hesitantly, he'd heard Kelly's remark.

"You do realise that you outrank my husband don't you?" Shannon asked, but her smirk was reserved for her husband.

Mike could feel Gibbs' stare boring a hole through his head "As the Deputy Special Assistant Director of NCIS, I could never outrank him Mrs G" he replied, he knew agreeing with her statement was life threatening.

"Glad someone in this room knows the score" Gibbs remarked dryly, but he loved the fact that Mike knew what to say, it put his wife's &amp; daughter's remarks in their places "bring the table this way"

"Yes sir" Mike agreed following instantly.

Shannon &amp; Kelly shared a look &amp; then watched the two men start to move the tables around.

"Mikey, gladiator wants a quick word, something about X-mas in Florida" Nix remarked coming down the stairs, he did a quick check of the mood in the room &amp; saw it was tense.

"Right, thanks Nix" Mike said heading for the stairs.

"Take your shower too Mikey, Nix can help with the tables" Shannon commented, but she noted the Christmas in Florida comment &amp; wondered why they wouldn't be spending it in Austin with his father.

Mike just nodded.

"What's up?" Nix asked once Mike had ascended the stairs.

"Dad just didn't like me pointing out the difference in rankings" Kelly smirked.

Nix eyes widened as he understood the remark.

"And that boy knows who actually outranks who" Gibbs answered.

"That would be Captain Bond no?" Nix smirked.

Shannon couldn't help herself she chuckled "seems like everyone else baring you &amp; him are comparing apples with apples, you're the only two comparing apples &amp; oranges &amp; I have no doubts about why Mike was doing so!"

Kelly could see her brother was confused "Mike said that as dad holds the position he holds in NCIS he could never outrank dad"

"But that's NCIS rankings, not marine rankings" Nix smirked, though he made sure to be well away from his dad &amp; behind his mother.

Kelly pressed her lips together as she watched her dad move towards her brother.

"Come here" Gibbs smirked to his son &amp; using a finger to motion him closer.

"I'm thinking not" Nix laughed as he moved backwards.

"I'm thinking you've not choice in the matter sonny boy" Gibbs smirked getting closer.

"Don't we have to arrange &amp; set the table for dinner?" Nix tried looking at his mum.

"We do, but I'm thinking we still have a few minutes up our sleeves" Shannon smiled, they'd all been stressed these last few days, her son &amp; husband especially, so this would be the perfect tonic.

Gibbs grinned as he brought himself right in front of his boy "now then, what did you say before?"

Nix grinned "I believe I pointed out that a Captain outranks a Gunny"

"That's what a thought" Gibbs smirked before he quite quickly &amp; efficiently flung his boy over his shoulder &amp; headed straight for the back door.

"Not outside! the temperature has dropped" Shannon called, besides she wanted to see it unfold!

Gibbs instantly turned &amp; went straight for the lounge area, he laid his now laughing son down on the rug &amp; using his arms held himself over his boy, grinning he spoke softly "I'm going to give you one chance &amp; one chance only to retract your previous statement, you don't, well…."

Nix laughed "how can I retract a statement that is factual? Doing so would result in me lying!"

"He's right you know dad" Kelly laughed as she got comfortable on the couch watching the pair.

"You want to join us?" Gibbs smirked looking up at her.

"I believe the last time it was 2 on 1 we won" Kelly grinned.

"She's right" Nix laughed "we got you fair &amp; square!"

Gibbs looked back down at his son "your chance has gone!" he grinned.

Shannon just watched as her husband attacked her son, it looked to be a mixture between wrestling &amp; a tickle fight, she honestly didn't know what anyone outside of their family would make of this scene, two adult mucho males in this kind of state, both were laughing their heads off… it's just so funny &amp; heart-warming to watch.

Kelly was laughing at the wrestling match that had started in front of her, they'd discovered quite quickly that anything breakable couldn't go near the lounge area, as that was a main venue for this kind of stuff, she saw her mum lung to rescue the vase on a nearby table, just in case. After a few minutes though she noticed that Mike was standing at the foot of the stairs looking utterly shocked, but what he was wearing caught her attention, she knew her brother &amp; dad were winding up their session by their breathing &amp; decided to play with some more fire "Ah squirt, you might want to check out what Mikey's wearing" she smirked.

Mike had been glad when Nix had given him a chance to relieve himself from the situation &amp; had taken Shannon's idea of the shower &amp; run with it, he knew it had only been like 11 minutes, but the time out had helped relax him from where the conversation had been leading to. He knew that Kelly had started that topic just to rile her dad, but he didn't want to get caught in the middle &amp; he certainly was not going to agree with her that he outranked her dad, even if he did, he wasn't nuts! But when he went through his duffle he'd decided on exactly what to wear, he knew the reaction it would bring from one member of the family &amp; he hoped it would relax him even more.

When he'd come down the stairs though, he'd been utterly shocked, he couldn't believe his eyes &amp; what he was seeing, their dad was having a tickling wrestling match with Nix? What the? He was soo confused as he watched a tough as nails marine having… well, a tickle wrestling match, he didn't know what to make of that. He then heard Kelly's comment &amp; saw that Nix &amp; Gibbs were now both lying on their backs catching their breaths, he just smiled at Nix trying to get over his confusion.

Gibbs was lying on the rug trying to catch his breath, loving what had transpired, he hadn't laughed like that in a few days &amp; it was the perfect tonic to get rid of some stresses. He saw though that Mike was now back downstairs, it couldn't have been more than 12 minutes since he'd gone up &amp; was already back downstairs? Guess he showered like a proper marine should, so he couldn't call him on that, drats! But he saw that he was wearing a pair of jeans with some kind of soccer jersey, he wasn't sure which team that he couldn't tell, but he wondered what was so special about it. It kind of looked like Napoli's jersey, sort of.

Nix was catching his breath having finally been released by his dad, he loved those sessions, it was such great fun, he'd never get sick or too old for them! He heard his sister's comment &amp; opened one eye to look at Mike, then both of eyes opened wide eyed as he saw the guy smiling at him "I don't think so!" he exclaimed jumping up "we don't wear those colours in this house!"

Mike smirked "I wear no other colours" he considered something "you feel strange to be wearing sky blue?" he knew the Napoli colours were sky blue too.

Nix smirked "Completely different blue, not to mention emblem! Take it off!"

"Not happening" Mike smirked.

Gibbs watched as his son &amp; Mike were staring at each other, he was now perched next to his wife "what's wrong with what he's wearing?"

"Mike is a Manchester City fan, the Sky Blue half of Manchester, unlike your son &amp; by default, us who are Manchester United fans, from the red half of Manchester" Shannon explained.

Gibbs had never really gotten that passionately involved in sport before, but he was learning just how passionate fans of soccer.. football were in Europe &amp; the UK, it actually surprised him how passionately some people followed the teams, he recalled the saying someone said to him 'football is our religion' &amp; he was starting to understand just how much that was true.

Kelly just watched as Mike &amp; her brother stared each other down, this rivalry was so fun to watch!

"You know, the devils are going pretty shit at the moment, what 9th in the league &amp; not even able to beat West Brom?" Mike smirked.

"I'm sorry, how many titles have City won? How long were they languishing in the lower leagues?" Nix smirked back "Now, take it off! We don't wear any EPL colours in this house apart from Man U"

"You heard him Michael" Gibbs interjected.

Mike flashed a look to Gibbs, shit! He didn't want to give in.. but.. "With all due respect sir, I can't. I've never backed down from wearing these colours, not even in the middle of red devil territory &amp; never will" he sucked in a breath, hoping that would be acceptable.

Shannon flashed a looked between the trio of males in the room, none looked like they were wanting to back down, her husband has yet to show any real loyalty to a club unlike her son, but then again, they'd never in a situation to warrant it. She knew Mike would be loathed to strip it off, he was a City fan through &amp; through but would he stay on course against her husband? She wasn't too sure..

Gibbs eyed him, he knew that the term 'red devil territory' meant the area of Manchester that supported Manchester United, he also knew that this was a chance to see what kind of balls the guy had "We aren't in Manchester, we are in my house &amp; in my house there are certain rules followed, this being one of them"

Nix grinned at Mike, loving that his dad was backing him up on this.

Kelly had no idea what Mike would say to that, she shared a look of worry with her mum.

Mike sucked in a breath, damn! He considered his options when an idea came to him "I can appreciate that sir, so I'll happily change my top so long as Phoenix admits Man U have no chance of winning the EPL &amp; Man City are clearly the better team this season." he smirked to Nix.

Shannon looked at her son, she knew, they all knew that Manchester Utd were currently only 9th on the EPL table, and they really weren't looking likely to get anywhere near the top of the table, she also knew that her son would be loathed to admit that point "Phoenix? Is that a reasonable request"

Gibbs had to admit, he was impressed, the guy had thought on his feet very quickly for a way forward that would both show respect for what he demanded &amp; also allowed for his loyalty to his club to remain in tact, but what would his son's reply be?

Nix pressed his lips together, no matter how true it was he wasn't going admit that! No chance! Nix gritted his teeth "he can leave it on"

Gibbs was more than surprised at his son's statement "really?"

Kelly knew why her brother had said that, he'd rather let Mike wear the jersey than admit his team weren't beating their arch rivals &amp; were actually doing pretty shit in the league this season, she watched as her brother just headed towards the stairs &amp; shared a smile with Mike.

Mike smiled at Kelly, he knew the reaction he'd get from Nix &amp; he got it in spade "can I help set the table?" he asked Shannon.

"That would be appreciated Mikey, thank you" Shannon smiled "and nicely played"

Mike gave her a sly grin as he headed towards the table.

Kelly helped Mike get the table all sorted, she'd seen her dad had quizzed her mum about why her brother had let slip, he was still getting used to how passionate people were towards teams, her brother included. They had just finished setting it when the front door opened &amp; saw her grandfather &amp; Tim come in.

"Hey gramps, how was your afternoon?" Kelly asked.

"Was lovely, took myself off down to the port area, its quite scenic" Jack answered.

"Its certainly beautiful down there" Shannon replied "good evening Tim, glad you could join us"

"Hi, glad I could make it too Mrs Gibbs" Tim replied, he saw that out of the corner of his eye Mike had smiled to himself when he'd addressed Shannon, clearly liking that he was having to be so formal.

"Hey" Kelly smiled greeting him.

Tim smiled &amp; went in for a kiss, he wanted to make Mike feel as uncomfortable as possible.

Mike had to admit he was a little surprised to hear Tim refer to Shannon so formally, knowing that though made him feel good, he was clearly having to do that for a reason. He watched as the guy went into a kiss with Kelly, though it had been years since he &amp; Kelly had been in a relationship, &amp; he'd rarely seen her since with a partner in tow, he always felt off put seeing her kiss someone else. He knew though that she was happy in her relationship with Tim &amp; that's all he wanted. His thought pattern though got interrupted when he saw Nix come back downstairs &amp; just couldn't help himself he let bellowed out a laugh.

Jack had to admit he was intrigued by the sudden laughter from not just Mike, but his son &amp; Shannon too, they were clearly laughing at Nix but what was so funny?

Tim got distracted by the laughter &amp; realised that now even Kelly was laughing "what's so funny?" he wasn't liking that there was family in joke at play &amp; that Mike was clearly in the know! He should have come over earlier!

"You seriously can't back down can you?" Kelly chuckled, her brother was wearing his David Beckham Manchester Utd jersey.

"Never back down, never surrender!" Nix grinned at Mike.

* * *

**A/N: Geez, this family really like to stir each other! J With regards to the rivalry between the Manchester teams, this is one of the bigger rivalry's in European football, very passionate. I've got friends on either side &amp; it can get very heated! I thought it would be a fun little twist. Mike though seems to handling things, or rather Gibbs, ok, but what about Tim? Even after the elevator chat with Kelly he still seems a little jealous.. **

**You know I love to hear your thoughts/comments, so review away! More up soon!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews, follows &amp; favourites, glad to be back! I've missed writing this verse! To my newest followers/favourites, welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, you rock! Love hearing your thoughts/comments, so keep 'em coming!**

**To Answer my Guest Reviews: Ladylicious: thanks for all your reviews on More than he dreamed of, both main story &amp; One Shots, I loved them all! It makes me smile knowing how much others love my writing!**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**none: Tim may be jealous of Mike &amp; yes, Mike does have a close relationship with Kelly, along with Shannon &amp; Nix, but its just a close friendship, and as far as titles are concerned with Shannon that will be addressed in this chapter.**

**Sdt: Thank you for your review! I want to assure you that Kelly knows Tim is the one for her, but I'm unsure how you can see Mike as being an ass? Yes, he's been a tad jealous, but that's about it. **

**Carrying on from the above I want to assure everyone that Telly is rock solid, I have so much planned for the pair! I've got some plans for Mike too. This chapter is giving us a glimpse into a few current &amp; past underlying issues, so rest assured if I bring something up, its for a reason &amp; shall be dealt with.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Tony" Shannon called through the sea of people that were now in her living area for dinner.

Tony approached her in the kitchen "Hi"

cuShannon smiled "How'd your check up go?"

Tony swallowed "Ahh…." With everything going on he'd totally forgot to go back for a check-up.

Shannon eyed him "You missed it?" she didn't even wait for the reply "March yourself next door to see Dr Bryne now, go on, we'll wait" she knew he was home &amp; that Jimmy was still doing those autopsies.

Tony just nodded "yes ma'am" he knew better than to try to argue.

Shannon watched him go &amp; shook her head, she turned to her husband, who was close by "you should have remembered that one"

"He' a big boy" Gibbs argued

"Yes he is" Shannon agreed "but he's also got a million things on his mind &amp; you and I both know that when other things get in the way the last thing he concerns himself with is his own health"

Gibbs couldn't argue with that, it was true. He turned his attention to the people now in his living area, there was his family, Mike, Tony's &amp; Wu's entire teams &amp; Col Marks. The teams were all taking it in turns to duck out for a meal, they'd go back after dinner &amp; relieve the others as they kept at it all. He was still frustrated that they hadn't been able to get names of the two men, even though they had the prints, he saw that Ziva had just gotten off the phone &amp; motioned her closer "news?"

"Jimmy &amp; the other ME are almost done with the autopsies, so far, there's no distinguishing features we can use to narrow our searches down, he said he'll keep going until he finds something we can use" Ziva reported, "where'd Tony get to?" she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Next door, he forget to go for his checkup" Shannon answered.

Ziva's eyes widened, shit! His throat! It had completely slipped her mind, they'd been so focused on everything else, now she felt horrible! She was supposed to be the one making sure he was ok! "I forgot he was due for his checkup today"

"We all get snowed under with things Ziva, Tony's certainly had a lot come onto his plate, and the day isn't over, so technically we've not forgotten" Shannon replied, wanting to ease her feelings..

Gibbs saw Ziva nod &amp; move away "how is that she gets comfort &amp; I get…" he'd been given the 'look' at not remembering, yet Ziva..

"A reprimand?" Shannon smirked, she leaned into him "because unlike them, you are the parent &amp; the one who knows exactly how that boy is when it comes to his own health, you are the father, no?" she'd considered that a possible way to keep him balanced &amp; not so much the second b for… person, was to keep him in the family mindset &amp; not let it go too from that, besides, it wasn't like what she was saying wasn't true.

Gibbs just smiled at her "yes dear, but how many kids do we actually have?" so many of the agents just seemed to gravitate towards them.

"A whole room full" Shannon smiled back "I'm just waiting for the next generation now" she murmured, deciding to have a bit of fun.

Gibbs stared at her "I beg your pardon?" what was she saying? He looked at his daughter, she was sitting on Tim's lap as they watched Nix &amp; Mike play off on xBOX FIFA '14, she wasn't? Was she?

"Not yet you idiot!" Shannon rolled her eyes "but sometime sooner rather than later would be nice"

Gibbs just eyed her "yea, maybe"

Shannon raised an eyebrow "Maybe? You saying you don't want grandchildren Jethro?"

"I want them Shan, of course I do" Gibbs retorted, of course he did! "But I want it the right way, and I want each of them to pick the right partner"

Shannon's eyes narrowed "you think your daughter has not chosen the right partner in Timothy?"

"I think things are rather tricky at the moment" Gibbs replied motioning to the situation on the couches, to him it was plain as day, Tim &amp; Mike were creating a bit of a tense atmosphere.

"I don't agree" Shannon countered "Kelly is no longer interested in Mike that way, they've become great friends. She sees him as a great friend &amp; that's it"

"Don't think Mike agrees with those feelings" Gibbs countered.

"Mike is simply protective of her, like someone else I know, his feelings are simply those of a protective marine, that wants his friend to be happy, so yes, he is still cautious of Tim &amp; if you think that Kelly doesn't see it, then you're wrong. She can certainly tell that things are tense, but you are not helping the situation either." Shannon remarked.

Gibbs wasn't so sure "me?"

"Yes you, please relax with Michael, Tim seeing you tense towards him, just encourages him to be tense as well" Shannon answered "oh, and I believe it's time to remove the ma'am &amp; Mrs Gibbs titles" she finished with a raised eyebrow, she'd wanted to get rid of them for quite a while already.

Gibbs just eyed her.

"Give me one, one good reason why it should remain?" Shannon challenged him.

Gibbs took a deep breath "respect"

Shannon's eyes widened "you seriously think the respect will stop if they call me Shannon or even Mrs G like Mike does, do you see any sign that he doesn't show it? Oh, and you are still having hm call you sir, the man who hates being called that!"

Gibbs knew she was right, but it wasn't something he wanted to discuss, now especially, he saw Tony come back inside &amp; head straight for them "So?" he enquired, glad to be given an detour from the conversation.

"It's getting better, but he wants me to continue with the antibiotics for another week &amp; to see him again after that" Tony reported.

"And?" Gibbs prodded, he could see there was a bit more.

"Said when everything gets sorted &amp; settles down he wants to do some dental x-rays &amp; he may want to remove my tonsils as a precautionary measure, as this was quite a bad case &amp; he'd hate for me to get it again" Tony answered, he should have known to have given the full report.

"Then we'll assess it when this is sorted, there's nothing too it, Nix has had his removed, he actually loved it. A week of nothing but ice cream, jelly &amp; puddings" Shannon smiled.

Tony nodded &amp; smiled, she hadn't even hesitated saying 'we' will assess it, he just couldn't get over that feeling of being that cared for "sounds like a week of dessert heaven"

"He thought so" Shannon agreed, she turned to the masses "dinner's up, let's sit down"

Gibbs followed the masses to the table, he was glad their dining area could accommodate this many people without being too squashed. He took his seat at the head of the table, right next to his wife, he had his dad next to him &amp; his girl was next to him.

Shannon was taking her seat, like her husband at the head of the table, with her son right next to her. She saw that Mike had placed himself between Nix &amp; Tony, with Kelly across from him, with Tim right next to her. She loved that even though they had guests, they always sat together.

Shannon saw that everyone had taken their seat &amp; spoke before anyone could get started with anything "Michael, would you do us the pleasure of saying grace?" while this wasn't a regular occurrence in the their house usually, Mike &amp; his family were more traditional that way &amp; she knew he always liked to say it.

"Certainly" Mike smiled.

Gibbs was glad his wife had given him the forewarning about this, otherwise he'd be looking surprised just like a lot of the others at the table, the team were all flashing surprised looks at each other.

Tony had to admit surprise at this, they'd never said grace before, he wondered why they were now? Saying grace before the meal wasn't something he'd really done, except at the occasional friends place when he was a kid, then there were the shabbat dinners with Ziva, but they said a few blessing before the meal &amp; said grace after it mainly. He saw that people were now bowing their heads &amp; holding the hands of those next to them. He saw Mike's hand stretched awaiting for him to take, it felt a little weird, but he took the hand &amp; bowed his head.

Tim hadn't said grace before a meal in well.. a while, he'd done it growing up, his parents were traditional that way, but it wasn't something he'd really done on his own. He saw that Kelly had lowered her head &amp; reached out to take his hand almost instantly, like she'd been expecting it. He was glad that they were on the other side of the table &amp; he was holding her hand &amp; it wasn't Mike, he took hold of her hand &amp; awaited the blessing.

Mike took a deep breath, here goes! "Bless us Father and these thy gifts with which are about to receive. Bless this house &amp; those present as we come together to inherit your bounty &amp; fuel our bodies as we strive to locate the missing soul who will complete your son Anthony's family. Please bless Patricia and Jake &amp; watch over them for as long as Anthony is separated from them."

Tony had closed his eyes but couldn't help himself he was now staring at the marine next to him wide eyed. He was shocked that Mike had said what he said, he was touched, but shocked!

"As we sit together &amp; cherish the love of the families &amp; friends around us, please, continue to bless this wonderful Gibbs family; they've truly been through more trials than most. Thank you for giving them strength to navigate through the dark waters &amp; please watch over them as they continue down the road you've laid out. If I could also request a special favour Father, please allow Shannon's soul some peace, she has suffered more than anyone should, both through the years back there &amp; in more recent times, her soul is too pure to be burdened down like it had, her's &amp; her family's souls have suffered enough, let them be at peace &amp; follow their dreams, like they're doing now (he gave Nix a squeeze &amp; Nix couldn't help but smile)." Mike continued.

Shannon swallowed down the lump in her throat &amp; let some tears run down her cheek, this boy was too sweet.

Gibbs was more than just taken by what Mike was saying.

"The family finally have their place in this world together &amp; with the extended family they now find themselves with &amp; it's an honour to be able to share this meal with them. As we sit here we ask you to protect those who cannot protect themselves, give us the strength to always see the good in peoples hearts &amp; bless the roads we all travel, as they will never the same once we've travelled them. And please bless all the brave men &amp; woman of the armed forces on this day, as we say amen" Mike concluded.

"Amen" came the reply, but I was only from Kelly, Nix &amp; Wu's team.

Marks had already had a brief chat with Mike &amp; hadn't been able to fault the guy, but now.. was this kid a saint? But he also realised just how well he knew the family.

Kelly had a few tears running down her cheek, she gave her friend a smile, he was always so good with expressing himself.

Mike shared a smile with Kelly, he could see though that Tim was looking at him a little surprised. He gave the guy a nod, he knew Kelly was happy with him, and while he admitted a tinge of jealously, all he wanted was for her to be happy &amp; they did seem to really fit well together.

Gibbs could see there were a few people who were taken by what Mike had said him included, but his wife was nowhere near able to speak at the moment "everyone dig in, we're due back at NCIS in 90" he said, trying to move them all on &amp; divert attention.

Jack couldn't say he wasn't taken by what the young marine had said, he certainly was, but he was keenly aware of the mood around the table as a result, so like his son he started to help himself to food, trying to relax the tension. He noticed though that while had started to help themselves to food Shannon had excused herself from the table &amp; not 2 minutes later Mike had left too.

Shannon didn't realise what asking Mike to say grace would do to her, she needed a moment to compose herself. She headed up to her room &amp; sat down on the bed, burying her head in her hands for moment. She took a deep breath &amp; breathed through it, just liked she'd practiced with Laura at her meditation sessions at the base Chapel. She knew she had do something, and speaking to shrink wasn't an option for her, but when she'd discovered the meditation classes, she joined in &amp;, it had helped her a lot, she did the group classes &amp; had also done some one on one sessions with Laura as she continued to deal with it all.

Having been able to get herself composed, she quickly washed her face &amp; brushed her hair ready to go back downstairs, but when she came into the hall she was met unexpectedly by Mike.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean.." Mike tried to say, he felt back for her obvious reaction.

Shannon again swallowed the lump "Hush, its ok. I just wasn't expecting it. You spoke beautifully &amp; I am very touched by it. I was right with what I said earlier, your mum would be so proud of you, so very proud, so let's just leave it at that, ok?"

"Ok" Mike nodded

"Good" Shannon smiled "now, let's get back down there before all the foods gone!"

Shannon sat down again &amp; felt her husband instantly put his hand on her thigh &amp; rubbed it "I'm ok" she whispered. She was glad he'd let go alone, while she knew he would have gone after her instantly, he was letting her try to deal with it herself, which she was glad about.

Gibbs nodded, he was glad to hear it but also hoped it wouldn't stir up more nightmares, they'd gone almost a month without any, their best period yet, but was it about to end? He just hoped not.

Ziva could see that slowly people were relaxing; she knew that some had tensed because they really didn't know the details of what had happened &amp; Mike's relation to it all. However, she knew that herself, Tony, Tim &amp; probably Jack, Gibbs &amp; Col Marks who knew all the details were taken by the emotions that he'd used &amp; what he'd said. She was very moved that he'd mentioned Patricia in the prayer &amp; knew Tony was too.

"Sharaz, could you pass the enchiladas please" Nix asked.

Shaz smiled "sure Nix, here you go"

Nix took it, no one had yet to take any "chilli challenge time" he stated.

"Careful Phoenix, I used Maryanne's recipe" Shannon warned.

Mike smiled, she'd used his mum's recipe "she always made the best tex-mex enchiladas', but your Mac 'n cheese rocked hers out of the park"

"You need something soothing to wash down the chilli" Shannon smiled, turning she warned "to those considering this, a warning, though there is cheese in it, it's hot"

Nix held the plate out &amp; watched as his dad, grandfather &amp; Mike all took, he then passed it on &amp; saw Tim, Tony, Ziva, Wu, Shaz, Jonas &amp; Col Mark all take some too "rules are simple, you have to eat as many as you can without any water during consumption. The one who can eat the most without requiring a drink, wins"

"You're not having one Kelly?" Shaz asked.

"I know I can't handle that much heat,, without a drink" Kelly replied, she wasn't too sure how Tim would do, he could handle heat, but this recipe was high in heat factor, very high.

"Don't think you've got enough though" Mike commented, the plate that held the pile was now pretty much empty.

Mark was never one to back from a challenge, this marine was becoming even more intriguing to him by the minute.

Kelly had just returned to the table "you eat all of these &amp; your head will blow off!" she smirked putting another plate of them in front of him.

Zuse was feeling a little out of place, but he was sitting across from Mia Dodd, the probie from Wu's team &amp; neither were partaking in this challenge, both were still feeling their way into everything &amp; he had to admit, having a meal at the home of the big boss &amp; his family, along with Col Marks… slightly nerve racking!

Kelly smirked watching everyone "ok, everyone take your first"

Shannon knew her husband, son &amp; Mike would all be able to have at least two, she wondered how Jack would go, along with Tim, he'd not shown to be as big a fan of heat as her son &amp; husband.

"Just like mum's" Mike commented as he finished his first one &amp; went for a second one.

Tim had to admit, while it was nice, it was pretty hot, a drink wouldn't go astray but he wasn't going to go down in this first.

"Oh wow" Shaz commented "that's…" ok, that was hot, she needed a drink.

Jack had to admit, while he always enjoyed a chilli hit, and these were delicious but he was starting to realise that as he matured, his taste buds seemed to going backwards, he didn't even finish his first one before reaching for some water, he knew he'd never really have any chance of winning this.

Kelly watched as by the end of the second ones, Wu &amp; Jonas had both reached for some water, she could see Tim was struggling &amp; didn't want to him have more than he could handle "I don't want you burning your mouth, its no big deal to reach for the water" she saw that stubborn look, but she knew she was right, so she continued in a low voice "I'm not interested in a guy who isn't sensible &amp; goes too far than he burns his mouth because he was too stubborn to not pull out of a silly challenge, that's not the guy I'm with. I'm with the guy who takes care of himself &amp; doesn't care of what other people think"

Tim had stopped himself from reaching for the water because he didn't want Mike to beat him, but listening to Kelly &amp; looking into her eyes, he knew his jealously really wasn't called for, she wanted him, not Mike. His mouth suddenly got hot again &amp; he instinctively reached for the class.

Kelly smiled in triumph, she'd eventually get it through his head that there was no reason to be jealous of Mike in that way, they were good friends &amp; that was it.

Tony had seen his partner reach for the glass &amp; instantly did likewise, these were way too hot to have without any drink! He couldn't help but smile at the fact that soon after he'd taken a drink Ziva had too, she done better than him, she'd managed 3.

Sharaz was impressed, they were now just down to 3 competitors, Gibbs, Col Marks &amp; Mike, they'd all had four so far &amp; none were showing signs of wavering, even though they all looked to be feeling it. She was curious though, there were only 2 more left on the tray, and 3 of them?

Mike did his best to swallow his last bite as quickly as possible, having seen Gibbs just grab one &amp; wanting to get his hands on the remaining one, and was about to reach for it when he heard his name called.

"Leave it Captain, that one is mine" Col Marks instructed, he wasn't going out on this challenge simply because they weren't enough left, no the Captain can forfeit his right to it.

Mike swallowed past the lump in his throat, that was slightly burning as he looked at the Colonel, damn!

"Pass it down, now Captain" Marks added having seen Mike hesitate.

Gibbs couldn't say his mouth wasn't burning, because it was, but he let out a smirk at what Marks was doing, however he quickly reined it in seeing the disapproving look he was getting from his wife.

Mike gave the only reply he could "yes sir" he replied &amp; passed down the final one, well.. at least he gave it a good shot!

Everyone was now looking between either of the table where Gibbs &amp; Col Marks were both eating their fifth, Ziva had to admit she was impressed, these enchilada's weren't exactly mild!

"You burn your mouth off, don't complain to me" Shannon smirked to her husband, she honestly didn't know how his mouth was coping with these.

Nix saw them both half way through &amp; shot his sister a knowing look, getting a nod in reply he spoke up "wait one second please" he asked as he rose from his seat.

Marks wasn't exactly in a mood to wait, he wanted to shove it down &amp; get something soothing down his throat, he wasn't sure what Nix had planned, but a knock at the door interrupted it all.

Nix had been on his way into the kitchen when he heard a knock at the door, so he de-toured to open it.

Gibbs was now looking down the hall way to see who had arrived.

"Hello?" Nix asked, he saw a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway, one he didn't recognise.

"Is this the residence of Agent Gibbs?" she asked quietly.

Nix smirked "No, this isn't the residence of **_Agent_** Gibbs" his dad wasn't a mere Agent anymore, after a slight pause where he saw confusion come across the lady's face he added "this is the residence of Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, is that who you're after?"

"Umm, yes" she replied "is he home?"

Gibbs smirked at his son's antics, it wasn't the first time he'd done that, and his sister had also done it too. Realising the chilli challenge was dead, he quickly drank some water to smooth his throat &amp; approached his front door, looking past his son, he couldn't really recognise the lady "Phoenix, go back to the table" he motioned to his son before turning to the lady "I'm Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, can I help you ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes.. ah, I was hoping I could have word with you about… "she asked hesitantly, truth be told she wasn't expecting him to be home.

"About?" Gibbs prodded.

"About Anthony DiNozzo Junior" she answered finally.

Tony's eyes widened, he'd heard the comment from the table &amp; rose instantly to see who wanted to speak to Gibbs about him, he took one step down the hall when he locked eyes on the lady, and they widened, he recognised her instantly "I've got nothing to say to you Linda" he stated from behind Gibbs.

Kelly shared a look with her mum &amp; Tim, Linda? As in Linda Turner, the lady his dad had come to town with? This couldn't be good &amp; could turn ugly!

* * *

**A/N: Hmm... I wonder what Linda wants? Hopefully it wont turn ugly! Glad that Tony's getting better, but he might need to get those tonsils removed! Ouch! Mike said a beautiful grace, but it looks like Shannon is still dealing with everything (&amp; honestly, I think that is more than understandable!) **

**I have to wonder though who would have won the chilli challenge Gibbs or Marks? ;) But just maybe Tim is realising that Mike really isn't a threat.**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts &amp; comments, so review away! More up soon!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks, to my latest followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us on this continued adventure for the family &amp; team. To my reviewers, thank you so much, love hearing your thoughts, so thanks!**

**To my guest reviewers: Ladyaloysius: Thanks for all your reviews! So glad you're with us on the ride in Naples! **

**None: The grandbabies, yes, that would be a fun subject for Kelly to stir her dad with!**

**Guest #1: Yea, Gibbs is still a little well, let's just say the 'Mrs Gibbs' thing will soon be gone! **

**Guest #2: Not sure where you got that quote from, but it basically means to make fun of, in a light hearted way.**

**Sue Dooely: Thanks so much! So glad you're enjoying this!**

**Quick note on this chapter, when I started writing it was kind of confusing to have Linda talk about Tony and his fahter by first name, 2 Tony's = wayy confusing! So to relieve that I have used 'Junior' &amp; 'Senior' for her thoughts, so we can keep it clear. This seperation is only for her thoughts &amp; it by no way infers how she thinks about either man, if I've used those words by any other character, it is for a reason. Now let's see how the conversation goes..**

* * *

Linda's eyes widened, she wasn't expecting Junior to be here "Anthony" she whispered

"I've got nothing to say to neither you or him, so you can go on your merry way" Tony replied.

Gibbs flashed a look between the pair, he wasn't quite sure what to do, he wasn't going to invite her in, because clearly Tony didn't want anything to do with her.

Linda could see that he wasn't happy to see her, but Senior had asked her to come speak to Gibbs "I wasn't expecting to see you here, I thought you'd be well, looking for your sister, she's still missing isn't she?"

Gibbs could see Tony tense further, so he spoke quickly "Ms Turner, I have numerous teams working on locating Commander Kaplan both here &amp; back in the US, and I currently have the teams on rotation to eat, which is what we're doing now" he explained.

Linda just nodded "fair enough" she took a deep breath "if I could trouble you to spare a minute, I'd appreciate a word" she said to Gibbs.

"Don't ignore me" Tony stated "I told him I wanted nothing to do with him! So you fall into that category too!"

Linda sighed, but tried to say something "And your dad just aske.."

"He's not my dad!" Tony exclaimed.

Shannon didn't like that this had all come back up, especially given the audience "why don't we go outside, let everyone else eat" she suggested.

Before Tony could say anything he'd seen Gibbs walk out basically herding Linda with him, he really didn't want to speak to her, but the look on Shannon's face made him realise she merely wanted to move the discussion away from everyone, he motioned Ziva to come too, wanting her with him too.

Ziva was glad to be with Tony this time, he wasn't looking good &amp; she didn't like it one bit. She knew though that this woman clearly came here for a reason, she just wondered why?

Shannon guessed that Tony's father had asked her to come, she saw that Linda was now even more nervous than a few minutes ago "Anthony Senior asked you to come &amp; speak with my husband?" she enquired.

"Yes" Linda agreed, Senior had told her that his son had disowned him but to have heard him almost shout he wasn't his dad, she really didn't like hearing it, she'd try to mend a broken fence "he's…"

"I don't care about his feelings!" Tony interrupted "he only wants you to speak to Gibbs to make him feel better, to make him feel like he's actually doing something!"

"He wants to help" Linda said gently.

"He should have thought about that 40 years ago!" Tony replied briskly "maybe you could have said something too you know!"

"I didn't know" Linda replied

"Bullshit!" Tony remarked.

"Your mother was spirited away for most of her senior year, we all thought it was because she had to take care of a failing aunt, we never got told why, and your parents never mentioned it either" Linda tried to explain.

"You were supposedly my mother's best friend &amp; now you seem to be my father's soul mate, why the hell should I believe that!" Tony retorted.

"Because it's the truth" Linda said softly.

"Yea well, I don't believe that" Tony replied.

"Surely you would have suspected something" Ziva noted "it wasn't like she went to a different city"

Linda looked at this lady, she spoke with an accent &amp; with that hair, she could only presume this was Ziva David, Senior had told her about the lady "there were always rumours whenever a girl suddenly went away but I'm sure you can understand how big New York City was even back then. But I would also presume that where-ever Patricia was sent they didn't really allow for the girls to leave the premises" Linda replied.

Shannon nodded in agreement, from what she knew of the practices, the facilities certainly didn't look favourably on allowing the girls to leave until after they'd given birth.

Linda looked to Junior, she'd try a different avenue to try to make peace "your mum.."

"Mother" Tony interrupted her.

Linda swallowed, he was really mad, she could understand it, she herself was shocked at the news, but still she'd promised Senior that she'd try "I loved your mother dearly, she was a gentle &amp; beautiful soul, always tried to do the right thing by everyone, she was never the person that caused problems, she was the peacemaker in fact."

Tony was frustrated "what's any of that got to do with anything!"

Gibbs could see Tony was likely to blow another gasket &amp; that wouldn't be good "Tony" he called gently, and only continued once he was looking right at him "go back inside with Ziva &amp; get something to eat, you're due back at the office soon &amp; I don't want it to be on an empty stomach"

Tony wanted to protest, he didn't want Linda speaking to Gibbs &amp; Shannon about him, without him, but he saw the way Gibbs was looking at him, along with Shannon, for them it wasn't about talking about him behind his back, it was about talking to Linda so he didn't have to, and that he could handle "ok"

"Don't forget your ice cream in the freezer Tony" Shannon remarked, it was drew a smile from him, which she was grateful for.

"Thank you" Linda remarked once Tony &amp; Ziva had gone back inside.

"Ms Turner, I sent Tony back inside for him, so he wouldn't get worked up again, I did not do it for you" Gibbs retorted, he wanted to be clear with that.

Linda just nodded, Senior had told her about Gibbs &amp; the relationship he had with Junior, she could see it in front of her.

"What exactly did Senior want you to tell us?" Gibbs asked &amp; continued "because we will not attempt to play peacekeeper, if Senior wants Tony to forgive him, he won't be using us to do it, he has to do it himself" he didn't want to be put in the middle &amp; he certainly wouldn't allow Senior to use his &amp; his wife's relationship with Tony to smooth his way.

"Tony just wants the chance to try, he's beside himself about it all" Linda remarked.

"And you?" Shannon prodded.

"I can't say I'm not shocked about it, Patricia never seemed the type to have given up a child, family was the most important thing to her" Linda admitted, before continuing "she was an extremely private person, she only moved to the US when she was 15 &amp; it took over a year before she invited anyone over to her place. She was one that would rather spend time at home than be out with friends, Tony was the only one that was really able to get her out for a length of time, he was a care free fun, kind of goofy kid back then &amp; she loved it &amp; him for it"

"Something changed senior year though?" Shannon asked, she could see it all over the woman's face.

"She was at school on a Friday &amp; come Monday, she was gone, all we were told was that she had to suddenly rush off to take care of a failing aunt, I presumed it was one back in the United Kingdom, as that's where her family was from, when I pressed Tony on it, that's the story he told us too" Linda answered.

"But you sensed something" Shannon remarked.

"While Patricia was away Tony became extremely withdrawn &amp; quiet, his friends at the business school he attended said he rarely participated in anything outside of class. He claimed it was because he was upset at Patricia's absence, but I always got the feeling there was something more. When she got back right before exams, she seemed fine, her usual self, except her &amp; Tony would always wander off on us when we went out as a group, that was the only way they were initially allowed out, in a group. I tried to get her to talk to me about things, but all she kept saying was she was worried about the aunt she'd cared for &amp; left, because she had to graduate. I took that as the reason behind it, she was a family person after all, and appeared very close to her relatives back home" Linda explained.

"So you never suspected that the pair of them…..?" Gibbs prodded again.

"No" Linda replied firmly "I remember a girl at school trying to spread that rumour, but it was put to bed as soon as Patricia returned &amp; hooked back up with Tony, it wasn't really customary for the parents to allow the kids access to the other party if a baby had been produced, so the pair getting together again put that rumour to rest &amp; made everyone believe the aunt story"

"Now knowing what you know, can you think of anything strange that occurred during that whole period?" Gibbs asked, he was now really curious about why the pair got back together or rather why the parents allowed it.

Shannon watched as Linda thought about it.

"Well, when I had my daughter, Patricia was always wanting to nurse her, I considered that normal just because of our friendship, I would nurse Junior &amp; we'd swap, but whenever we'd meet up, she'd always go straight for her" Linda replied.

"I meant in relation to the pair getting together, like you said it was normal back then" Gibbs remarked.

"Tony's parents seemed fine with it, I think his father liked the fact that Patricia came from a well to do upper class British family, and he'd get the chance to use the connections in business, though I never really saw any of that happen" Linda answered.

Gibbs raised his eyebrow, sounded like Senior was like his father!

"What about hers?" Shannon asked.

"I'll be honest, even though Patricia was my closet friend growing up, I never really got to know her parents, Martin &amp; Susan Paddington were even more private than their daughter. They spent a lot time going between the UK &amp; US, their older sons didn't make the move over, so they would go &amp; see them, but Patricia never went &amp; they didn't come for her wedding." Linda remarked.

"Clive Paddington?" Gibbs asked, that was one uncle that he knew about. He had to wonder why the siblings riff though.

"Yes, he was one of her older brothers, the oldest was Jeffrey though, I'm afraid that's all I know about them" Linda remarked.

"Look, I'd love to stand on the street &amp; talk history all night, but Senior's not coping that well &amp; I only came to see if you'd at least talk Junior into seeing him again, that's all I'm asking for." Linda asked.

"We will convey the message that he wants to see Tony, but that's it. Don't expect anything, especially in the near future, all Tony is concerned with right now, along with the rest of us, is locating his sister" Gibbs replied.

Linda nodded "We're staying in town until this gets sorted out, he wants to know his daughter's ok, it's been eating away at him for 45 years &amp; he isn't going anywhere until he hears that she's at least safe. He isn't going anywhere until he can at least speak to Junior again; he really is scared of losing him, please ask Tony to speak to his father"

Shannon eyed the woman "I can't speak of what it's like to keen that secret from a child but I can speak about what it's like to give a child up &amp; I for one do not understand how a person can just let it go on for so long! If it had been eating Senior up for 45 years, he should have done something about it! And a lot sooner!" she exclaimed "so you'll forgive me for giving a rats about Senior &amp; how he's coping, there is only person I am concerned with &amp; that is Anthony, a man I consider a son, as much as my own flesh &amp; blood is. And I will not allow Senior or you to shift the responsibility of this mess onto him. Responsibility lies with the person who is responsible for the secret having been kept, that being Senior &amp; he is the parent, so he should act like one! If he wants to speak to Anthony, then he should be here, not you! And you shouldn't be asking Anthony to be the one to make contact"

Gibbs was wide eyed, he knew his wife had a temper, but this outburst had come out of nowhere, he'd seen no signs of the simmer that usually happened before hand, he had to agree with what she was saying though.

"Senior knows he's got a lot to make up for, but he can't start if Junior won't talk to him at least" Linda replied timidly.

"Perhaps he should try making the contact himself, it isn't up to Anthony to make the effort" Shannon retorted angrily.

Gibbs was getting a little concerned about his wife, but he wasn't going to say anything right now, he saw a marine patrol approach.

"Excuse me sir, is everything alright?" Corp Ellis asked.

"You can escort this lady off our base Corporal" Shannon stated.

Ellis flashed a look to Gibbs.

"You hear her marine, show this lady the exit" Gibbs added, he had to say this patrol came at the best time, he wasn't sure what was going on with his wife, &amp; and wanted to extricate themselves from Linda.

"Yes sir" Ellis nodded instantly, he shifted his attention to the lady "Ma'am, this way"

"I'm sorry for upsetting you all, it wasn't my intent, I merely don't want a father &amp; son to be lost to each other" Linda remarked.

"Well, the father can work on that" Shannon replied flatly.

Gibbs watched as the marine pair escorted Linda down the street to their vehicle, it wasn't until they were out of ear shot did he speak to his wife, pulling her into his hold he spoke softly "All's ok Shan"

"The nerve of that man &amp; that woman to try to put it on to Anthony to make the contact!" Shannon gritted out.

"Not right, but we'll tell him that he only has to go see Senior, **_when &amp; if he_** is ready to do, not for any other reason" Gibbs said.

"Some people just don't deserve to be parents" Shannon sighed.

"Nope" Gibbs agreed "but he's one of ours now Shan, we've got him well looked after" he said gently &amp; confidently.

Shannon nodded "we do, we need to find his sister Jethro" she knew that like her husband, each of them had wished they'd had a sibling, which was why they kept trying for a second after Kelly, so to be able to give that gift to Tony, would be just wonderful.

"We will, we'll find her" Gibbs replied, it was obvious he needed to find Patricia not just for Tony's sake, but for all their sakes.

* * *

**A/N: Hmm... me thinks the woman got a talking to! Good thing Shannon &amp; Gibbs took over the conversation, Tony wasn't really coping, but could Gibbs gut be right on his wife? Is there something going on with Shannon? She did kinda of blow up.**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To all my new followers &amp; favourites, welcome! I'm so glad to have you with us! I love see those numbers climb! **

**To my reviewers, WOW 200+ reviewers already! I'm blown away! You all rock! To hear your thoughts/comments &amp; how much you're loving this just inspire me! So keep them coming! Sorry I haven't been able to reply individually to you this time, but I'm running out of battery on my iPad &amp; want to get this chapter up, so apologises! **

**Now, as we know Patricia is currently based in New Orleans (reasoning will be revealed in due course), so it stands to reason that our NCIS NO crew will be involved, they wont have large roles, but they will be involved as the story progresses, for those that don't watch NCIS New Orleans, I will do my best to intergrate them as raw characters, this is the first chapter that mentions them, namely SSA Agent Dwayne Pride (nickname King; a good friend of Gibbs) &amp; his offsider Agent LaSalle. **

**Now, let's see how Shannon is doing..**

* * *

Gibbs allowed the hot water to wash over his body &amp; sooth him. It was just after midnight &amp; he'd just gotten home from another stint in the office, he had to admit, he'd gotten used to the more reasonable hours, so these consecutive &amp; excessively long days weren't really easy to cope with, he was more than looking forward to climbing into bed next to his wife for some sleep.

He was still on edge about the happenings earlier that evening with Linda &amp; was glad when he'd gotten home to find that his wife was sleeping peacefully, he was sure there was an underlying reason for her outburst, but she'd settled down fairly quickly, so for now he'd let it lie. Tony had calmed down after Linda's departure too, he'd conveyed the simple message he agreed to pass on &amp; the response he'd gotten was expected – "I won't be making contact anytime soon, he can shove it'.

The evening had been semi productive; they had discovered that not only had Jacob been released from hospital into his grandfather's care 2 days ago, but that he'd been a regular visitor to the children's hospital over the last few months, however they were still getting stonewalled about the cause of his illness. He'd tried to get King to pay the hospital a visit, but he was on leave overseas, so he had to leave it to Agent LaSalle to pursue, and even though King praised the guy, he didn't know the man from a bar of soap, he just hoped the guy would come through with the goods. Jimmy had also found the remains of a tattoo that one of the men had tried to get removed, he hoped it would help narrow down the search for them!

As he finished up in the bathroom, he opened the door to check on his wife, his gut was still unsettled about it all &amp; when he did, he knew he was right! She was tossing &amp; turning, he quickly finished putting his t-shirt on &amp; rushed to the bed, hoping in next to her, he gentle held her "Shh Shan, it's ok babe, I'm here, come on babe wake up"

Gibbs firmed up his hold on her &amp; caressed her head "you're safe Shannon, your marine is here, just wake up, come on babe wake up, Shannon Marie Gibbs wake up for your husband, please" he whispered into her ear. He felt her jolt away a moment later "easy Shan, you're ok, you're safe, I'm here babe, shhhh" he whispered to her and continued "we're all here, kids are safely tucked up in bed, I checked on each of them a few minutes ago, we're all ok, we're together, we're safe" he said gently, he knew the words she needed to hear to calm down.

Gibbs felt her start to cry into him "shhh, it's ok, you're ok, I'm right here babe" he soothed, he didn't care which nightmare it was, he hated the fact that she had it. He worked to control his anger, it was in these moments that he swore that Mac and Quinn got off too lightly, their deaths were far too quick &amp; painless as far as he was concerned!

Shannon just cried into his chest, she hated the nightmares, she tried to settle her heart rate down as she listened to his soothing voice, she was glad he was home.

Gibbs felt her crying subside a little &amp; wrapped his arms around her tightly, he rested his chin on her head "all over babe, you're ok, I'm right here Shan, never leaving you" he waited a moment &amp; felt her nod into him, he took a deep breath "want to tell me about it?" he knew it was easier for her to talk about it if she could just lie there on him &amp; stare off into the moonlight.

Shannon stared out the window into the moonlight "It was the day….. the day Mac told me….. "

Gibbs knew what she going to say "shh.. you don't have to finish it, I know what you're saying babe, shhh" it was the day Mac had decided to move her to **_that_** place! He swore Mac got off too lightly.

"But I've remembered something new, I think" Shannon whispered, that day had been one of the worst, but her dream had opened her memory up again &amp; she thought she recalled something new. She'd tried to block out everything of that time, but maybe she now recalled something she hadn't remembered before?

"What's that?" Gibbs asked genuinely curious.

"Earlier in the day I had been at the Country Club" Shannon recalled "I knew Mac was in court, so I'd gone for a ride, alone, needed to clear my head &amp; that was really the only time &amp; place I could"

Gibbs just listened, he hated all this stuff!

"I bumped into an older gentleman midway along the track" Shannon continued.

"ok" Gibbs remarked gently, he stroked her back trying to keep her calm.

"I'd tried to just say hello &amp; go off alone, but he kept the conversation going, he seemed caring &amp; perhaps he could tell I needed an unbiased ear. We casually chatted the rest of the way back, I felt at ease with him, until" Shannon said before stopping abruptly.

"Until what?" Gibbs prodded.

"Until we got back to the stables" Shannon answered "he suddenly tried to make his well, escape, and extremely quickly, almost like he didn't want to get caught there &amp; he took off like a shot when he saw Quinn approach, maybe it's nothing, but I just never recalled it before"

Gibbs had to admit he was curious about it too "remember a name or what he looked like?"

"No name, but he was tall &amp; fairly fit for an older gentleman, short hair that was maybe a coppery or blonde colour? I'm not really sure, not even sure it happened like that" Shannon admitted.

"It could have simply been someone that knew Mac, but don't worry about it" Gibbs said as reassuringly as possible, he was still curious about the incident, but what could he do about it? He considered that it was maybe someone who knew what kind of man Mac was &amp; therefore didn't want to get stuck getting the rundown from Quinn, but what he did know for certain was that he didn't want his wife to worry about it.

"Probably right" Shannon yawned.

Gibbs smiled "sleep babe, I'm right here"

Shannon smiled as she got comfortable on his chest, she let the soothing sound of his heartbeat send her back into blissful sleep.

Gibbs lay there &amp; felt the moment she fell back asleep,it had taken a few minutes, but her heartbeat had settled into a resting rhythm, it was only then that he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Gibbs stirred, it felt like he'd only just closed his eyes &amp; it was still pitch black outside, rolling over he saw that his wife wasn't in bed, crap! Where'd she get to? He instantly flashed a look up to the clock, it was just approaching 05:00, so he got around 4 and a half hours sleep, that would have to be enough.

Throwing himself out of bed, he quickly checked the bathroom, he was concerned she'd had another nightmare &amp; not woken him. He headed downstairs and not seeing her anywhere inside he peered outside &amp; spotted her, she was wrapped in a blanket &amp; sitting on their outside table, he quickly grabbed another blanket &amp; headed straight outside. This was a new one, she'd never come outside after a nightmare before, so he was a little curious &amp; worried.

He sat himself down on the table behind her &amp; pulled the blanket around his shoulder, then he pulled her into his hold &amp; wrapped the blanket around them both "what ya doing out here babe?" he asked softly as he laid a kiss to her head.

Shannon leaned back into him &amp; sighed in contentment "just thinking" while she'd love to sleep, she just couldn't at the moment.

After a few minutes Gibbs spoke gently "Was it another nightmare? Cause you should have woken me"

"No, just another memory, I think" Shannon replied.

"What was this one about?" Gibbs asked, seemed it was the night for memories, perfect timing!

"My dad" Shannon whispered.

Gibbs eyes widened, he wasn't expecting that at all, her dad? "What about him?" she didn't really remember that much about him, he died when she was merely 5 years old.

"That's the thing, I'm not even sure it's real, I've just got these new images of him, I think" Shannon said, and after the night she had she really wasn't sure it was real.

"What was he doing" Gibbs prodded.

"I got this image of him chasing me amongst all these dogs, beagles I think, I've never recalled it before, so I don't know what to make of it" Shannon replied "I wish I knew more about him" she barely knew anything about her dad, after he died her mum just stopped talking about him, she said it was too painful. She couldn't say she understood it, for her talking about Jethro when she thought he was dead was cathartic, it helped her, she just assumed grief was different for everyone.

"I know babe, I wish we had more to go with, I'd do anything to try to find more on him for you, you said he had siblings, cousins or something?" Gibbs recalled.

"I think so, but names &amp; everything I just don't know" Shannon sighed "I think after Mike's grace and all this stuff about Tony &amp; his mystery sister it's just brought up the past, with some new memory's maybe"

Gibbs had a feeling that was the reason for it all too "Yea, it brought things up for me too" after Mike's little speech he'd certainly thought about the past.

"I suppose it's also made me realise that I really know nothing about my dad &amp; his family" Shannon admitted.

"Tell me about the dream or memory" Gibbs said, hoping if she tried to recall it it may become clearer.

Shannon smiled as she did her best to recall it "We were on some kind of farm or large property, there were some horses &amp; a lot of dogs, I had a feeling that I was loving being basically in heaven amongst all of the animals, I ran between them all trying to pat them all &amp; then my dad started chasing me &amp; we just ran around laughing, but then it just goes black, I've tried to remember more, but nothing, I'm not even sure its real" she sighed, she wished she remembered more.

"I'm sure it is babe, and look you remembered something from when you younger than 5, that's impressive, keep hold of the memory" Gibbs soothed "but I have to ask if you loved dogs back then, what happened? Cause I can clearly recall you adamantly declaring the no dog rule, hair on the couch &amp; all that"

Shannon let out a laugh "because I saw what it took to get hair out of the carpet &amp; off the furniture!"

Gibbs smiled as his question brought a smile to her face, the fact it got a laugh was even better!

Shannon felt herself being laid back &amp; snuggled into her husband's chest, she was always the most content nestled into him.

"What else do you remember about him?" Gibbs asked gently

"His voice was so soothing, I've just got these images of him holding me &amp; singing me to sleep, but he didn't need a lot of sleep himself" Shannon whispered.

"Why do you say that?" Gibbs asked.

"Not sure, I've just got these images of him being up in the middle of the night whenever I'd had a bad dream, he'd just hold me on the couch until I fell asleep. Not sure its real though" Shannon admitted.

"I'm sure it is babe" Gibbs assured her "what's say, after all this mess is sorted out, we put our detective hats on &amp; try to find someone, how's that sound?" he'd give anything to find some details on him for her.

Shannon wasn't too sure "let's just deal with this first" if her father had siblings, why hadn't they kept in contact?

Gibbs used his index finger to lift her chin to make her look at him "we'll take it as slow or fast as you want, but it might bring you some peace to know something about him, think about it at least please" he was glad the nightmare was long gone, dealing with this he could handle a lot better.

Shannon just nodded &amp; buried herself back into her husband.

Gibbs thought he heard something, he tried to dismiss it, but there it was again

"Dad" Kelly whispered, what the heck were they doing outside? Getting no response she had to try again "Dad" she said while gently shaking him, trying not to wake her mum.

Gibbs managed to open one eye &amp; saw his girl standing over him "yea?"

"Ahh, not sure what you're doing outside, but it's 07:00! &amp; your phone is going crazy!" Kelly explained quietly, as she held her dad's phone up to him, showing the numerous messages &amp; missed calls.

Gibbs eyes widened, they must have fallen back asleep on the table, shit! He had to be gentle though, his wife was still asleep "help me manoeuvre mum will you?"

"Mum's awake" Shannon remarked "but I'm warm &amp; far too comfortable, so you're not moving Jethro"

Even though she was buried into him under the blankets Gibbs could feel the smile on her face, gosh he wished he could give her what she wanted, what he wanted "Babe, there's nothing I would rather do, but I gotta get moving, I'm running late"

"You can't run late, you're the boss!" Shannon retorted.

Gibbs gave her a kiss to her head, he realised that while she was joking about it, there was a little truth to her not wanting him to go, he guessed it was due to the night they'd had "you're right, I am the boss, but I have a meeting set for 08:00 &amp; need to speak to Vance before that"

Shannon groaned into her husband, she was far too warm &amp; comfortable &amp; truth be told she'd prefer him to stay home today, but she felt him sit them up "meany, I want coffee at least and… argh!"

Gibbs chuckled at her shock, he'd stood up with her in his arms rather quickly "I'm putting you back to bed &amp; yes, coffee &amp; breakfast shall be delivered before I go babe" he finished softly giving her a kiss.

Kelly just smiled as she held the door open for the pair "you might wanna call someone.. phone, messages.." she hinted.

"After I've put mum back to bed, be a good girl &amp; get us some coffee &amp; start making your mum some breakfast please, I'll finish when I come back down" Gibbs smiled at his daughter.

"No need Jethro, breakfast is almost ready" Jack remarked from the kitchen.

Gibbs had to smile at his dad, who he'd just spotted "thanks dad, could you put Shan's on the tray? She's taking hers in bed"

"Breakfast in bed?" Nix asked coming down the stairs bleary eyed "can I join?"

"Of course darling, that sounds wonderful, breakfast &amp; cartoons are in order I think" Shannon remarked "are you going to put me down?"

Gibbs eyed her "I shall, when you're in bed" he remarked making a move for the stairs.

While Shannon loved being held by her husband, there was one issue "your back Jethro"

"Never felt stronger or better in my life Shan, don't worry so much, I can easily manage you" Gibbs replied, he hadn't felt this fit &amp; strong in a great many years. He put it down to all the runs &amp; gym work outs he was now doing with his kids, it really was doing wonders for his health &amp; overall wellbeing.

Nix's grin settled on his sister as he waited for his dad to pass him.

"He gets cartoons &amp; breakfast in bed &amp; I get….. a cranky JAG judge….soooo not fair!" Kelly groaned.

Jack had to chuckle at his grand-daughter "life isn't always fair Kell darling I'm afraid, but you get first pick on the bacon &amp; eggs. I could pack you some Mac &amp; Cheese up for lunch if you'd like?" he offered.

"I already called dibs on the mac 'n cheese!" Nix called from the top of the stairs.

"You get breakfast in bed &amp; cartoons! The mac 'n cheese is mine!" Kelly yelled.

Gibbs laid his wife back into bed &amp; tucked her in "enjoy, I'll call you straight after the meeting, I love you babe" he finished caressing her hair &amp; planting another kiss on her.

Shannon smiled "Sound good, and I love you too darling, thank you" she replied before giving him a kiss in reply.

Gibbs smiled as he watched his son climb into bed &amp; cuddle up next to his mum, he had to agree with his daughter, "I think Kells is right, you two get breakfast in bed &amp; cartoons, we can at least get the Mac &amp; cheese mister"

"I think that's more than a fair trade darling &amp; there's some leftover cake &amp; cookies too, divide that between you two as well" Shannon agreed.

"What?" Nix asked grouchy "they get the Mac 'n cheese and the cookies and the cake?! How's that fair?"

Gibbs raised his eyebrow "if you'd prefer you can leave our bed, have your breakfast in a roll like I will be doing &amp; proceed straight to the base library to do you college work, then you can partake in sharing the leftovers, or you can remain in our bed, have breakfast laid out for you on a tray &amp; enjoy yourself with mum whilst watching cartoons, your choice Phoenix"

Shannon saw her son pout, was he a 5 year old or a 21 year old? "I'd much prefer you stay here with me darling, but dad is right, that is the sacrifice you will be required to make, so?"

"I'll stay" Nix replied

"Good" Shannon smiled "but that frown, turn it upside down young man &amp; get us some cartoons, preferably in English"

Gibbs got up &amp; left to it, he couldn't believe some of the peace treaties he was dealing with, breakfast in bed &amp; cartoons V leftovers.. seriously? His mind happily boggled at that as he returned to the kitchen, he could see his girl almost throwing the breakfast down her throat "slow down Kells, don't choke"

"I also slept in, got to be at JAG in 45!" Kelly groaned as she swallowed.

"Just give me 10 &amp; I'll be ready to go" Gibbs replied "divide up the Mac &amp; cheese, cake &amp; cookies, we're both taking the leftovers, your brother has relinquished his claim to it all" he turned to his dad who'd already got the breakfast for the pair upstairs "thanks"

"Anytime, but you need to eat too, shall I make a roll for you?" Jack offered.

"That would be great dad" Gibbs smiled, it really was nice to have him here but he felt bad for Shan, he saw his girl was occupied so stepped closer to him "can you spend some time with Shan today? She's.. she's feeling a bit off, memory of her dad, her real dad"

Jack looked at his son surprised, he knew nothing about Shannon's real father but he assumed that is what led them outside during the night "more than happy to do that Jethro, we'll have a great day"

Gibbs nodded in thanks

"Dad! Hurry up! We have to go!" Kelly exclaimed "I think we may need to consider hiring a spare car while gramps is here!" she was having to car pool with him to ensure that her mum had the car while her grandfather was in town.

Gibbs took hold of the tray &amp; headed back upstairs "think you're right"

_9 minutes later_

"You drive, I eat" Gibbs remarked as he &amp; Kelly rushed out of the house.

As they set off Kelly was curious "why were you in the backyard?" she asked cautiously.

Gibbs considered how to answer his girl as he swallowed when his phone rang again, it was Ziva "I'll be there in 10"

"We've got names Gibbs!" Ziva exclaimed, she was glad he'd finally picked up!

Gibbs froze, **_FINALLY_**!

* * *

**A/N: So they've finally got names! Can it help them locate Patricia? And maybe her family too? What exactly is wrong with Jacob?**

**Good thing Gibbs was able to help his wife! But what exactly was the root behind those memories getting stirred? At least she's ok now &amp; I'm sure a day with Jack &amp; her son will help sooth her! Especially with breakfast in bed &amp; some cartoons! ;)**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts/comment, so review away! More up soon!**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! Welcome to my newest followers &amp; favourites, so glad to have you with us on this continuing journey! To my dearest reviewers, thank you so much! I love hearing your thoughts, so keep 'em coming!**

**To Guest Reviewers Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not know anything about how adoption processes work now nor back in the 1960's, the way I have it working is purely for the purpose of this story &amp; by means holds true, it is purely fiction.**

**Now, can the names reap any rewards?**

* * *

Gibbs rushed into the bullpen, he saw almost the entire room full of agents ready to go &amp; awaiting the briefing, he saw McGee "start!" he ordered briskly, not wanting to delay another moment.

Tim hadn't known what had kept Gibbs, he was rarely ever late, he guessed it was something family related, that would be the only reason for the delay, he wouldn't ask now about it now though &amp; began "Palmer was able to get us an image of the tattoo, the NATO tech's were able to enhance it &amp; they ran it through the database, it got a hit, Andre Withers, he was the guy assuming Moretti's identity." He started, glad that their databases kept images of identifying marks.

"He's a Belgium national, former special ops, now a mercenary for hire, Italian Customs have confirmed that he entered through Milan on Saturday on a flight from Abu Dhabi. We've just gotten confirmation that he then left the Milan airport in a hire car. The car was hired by a Rudolf Guthrie, he matches the description of Mandel, and we're running his details now." Tim continued.

"Got something" Silva interrupted "A serviced apartment was hired under the name Rudolf Guthrie over in Arzano, they rented it for a week, so it should be un-touched"

Tim nodded before continuing "we're running known associates &amp; also trying to find any links between the pair. Palmer's helped us confirm that they were both killed by single shots to the temple, long range boss, longer than we suspected originally"

Gibbs nodded, he turned "Wu! You're on the apartment, I want it processed ASAP!"

"Yes boss!" Wu replied.

"Donnelly! Kruse! Back to the crime scene, take Silva &amp; Zuse too, scout the new target area for where the shot came from, I want his nest found &amp; combed with a toothcomb!" Gibbs ordered, he wouldn't usually split teams, but the area they'd likely need to cover was vast, so they needed the bodies in the field.

"Yes boss!" came the reply.

"Vella! Brunswick! Your teams are to take over any current investigations the other SSA's are on &amp; anything that come up" Gibbs added, he was glad to have two of his teams back in country, it gave him resources, which he was glad for, he knew though they had to keep some teams on the other matters.

"Right boss!" came the reply.

Gibbs finally turned back to McGee &amp; the rest of what he still considered his team "Find everything on them!"

"Yes boss" Tim &amp; Ziva replied.

"Move people!" Gibbs barked clapping his hands.

Tony would have been off-put had anyone else assigned his agents to another team but not Gibbs, he knew he was right, they needed bodies in the field, so he'd given his two agents a nod of agreement. He was glad they'd found the identities, but it still didn't get them closer to who killed them or progress on finding his sister!

Gibbs headed straight for the stairs "DINozzo! With me!" he called, knowing Tony should be present at the briefing with Vance too. He didn't even stop to make sure he was being followed, because he knew he didn't have to.

* * *

Shannon was enjoying her time with her little man, though he wasn't really little anymore, breakfast had been finished &amp; they were watching Smurfs 2, he was nestled into her side as they laid there. She noticed though he was on his phone too "are you watching the movie or busy on your phone?"

"I can do both" Nix replied with a small smile.

Shannon smiled "who you texting with anyway?" she asked stroking his head.

"Stac" Nix answered.

"How is she?" Shannon asked, seemed those two had become good friends, very good friends she thought.

"Good" Nix replied.

"Enjoying nursing?" Shannon inquired.

"yea" Nix answered.

Shannon smiled to herself, one word answers.. was there something more? "Will be nice to see her at Christmas, yes?" the Taylor's were heading over to spend the Christmas break with them, they'd already organised it.

Nix smiled to himself "yea" he was really looking forward to seeing her.

"Any ideas what we can get her for a present?" Shannon prodded, she'd been trying to suss him out for a while on her.

Nix knew what his mum was trying to do, this wasn't the first time she'd tried asking about her in a round-a-bout way, but wasn't ready to speak about it "ahh, well, she's into all kinds of things"

"Like?" Shannon asked.

"stuff" Nix answered.

"So I'm to get her 'stuff'? Clothes 'stuff', makeup 'stuff', nursing 'stuff', could you perhaps be more specific?" Shannon prodded, there was definitely something to this, his vagueness said it all.

"Thought you wanted to watch the movie?" Nix asked, flashing a look up to her.

Shannon just smiled "let's" she wrapped her arms around him "my little man still loves watching cartoons with his mummy"

"Always" Nix replied, he loved this one on one time with his mum, he'd never be too old for it.

* * *

"We find the defendant not guilty" came the announcement.

Kelly breathed a sigh of relief, she wasn't concerned about the outcome, she knew the man was innocent. She was just glad the session was over, she rose &amp; shook hands with the Petty Officer.

"Thank you Kelly" Petty Officer Brickson said shaking her hand.

"You're welcome, but next time…" Kelly replied

"I won't be dealing with anyone without checking them out first. I assure you" Brickson interrupted.

"Good, cause I never want to see you in one of these rooms again Petty Officer" Kelly remarked eyeing him, he'd made a very bad mistake, one she hoped he'd learn from.

"Yes ma'am" Brickson replied.

Kelly nodded &amp; headed straight out, she had to get over to NCIS! Checking her watch as walked she noted it was just past, 14:00 &amp; she was starving, she'd have to heat up her lunch in their break room, she pulled her phone out &amp; turned it off silent, she had half a dozen missed calls &amp; messages, why couldn't it just be one thing to deal with? No, when it rained it poured!

Kelly approached the NCIS building &amp; saw Wu team's approach too "Jonas!"

"Hey Kell" Jonas replied

"What's going on?" Kelly asked, she'd gotten nothing out of her dad in the few minutes it took them to drive to the short distance from home.

"Just got back from the apartment we think those two men used while in town. Place was wiped clean, no prints, no nothing" Jonas replied.

"Damn!" Kelly sighed "so you got nothing useful?"

"Didn't say that" Wu remarked as they headed out of the lift, he saw Gibbs "Boss!"

Gibbs had been standing in the middle of Tony's bullpen area when he heard Wu, he spun around instantly "what?" he demanded, but then he saw his daughter &amp; smiled.

Kelly smiled at her dad, she dropped her bags right by Tim's desk &amp; gave him a quick kiss, but she noticed something, her dad was holding a container of Mac 'n cheese, already heated! "Hi" she grinned as she walked up to him "ohh, you heated up lunch for me, thanks dad!" she said motioning to the container.

Tim let out small chuckle, Gibbs had barely gotten a mouthful to himself.

Gibbs handed it over gladly, she was obviously hungry, he knew she'd come straight from court, he turned his attention back to Wu "what did you find?" he asked as he pulled out his daughters container of cold Mac 'n cheese from her bag &amp; shoved it into Dodd's hands "warm it for me"

She nodded &amp; headed off instantly.

Jonas &amp; Tim shared a smirk, gosh having probies around was nice!

"The place was wiped clean, definitely a professional clean up job" Wu started.

Gibbs eyed "anything useful Wu?"

"Yes boss" Wu answered "there's a service station across the road, they just put in new security camera's" he grinned holding a USB drive in his hand "brand new camera's only went in last week &amp; they were concealed extremely well, I didn't even see them at first"

"Good work" Gibbs had to smile, if they were brand new &amp; concealed there was a high chance that the men hadn't spotted them either! "Jonas! Go through the feed!" he ordered.

"Yes boss" Jonas replied instantly &amp; motioned to his junior partner Sam to help him, they headed for their desks.

Tony felt a small sign of relief, today they were finally catching some breaks! He spied a cookie sitting on Tim's desk, and couldn't help himself, he grabbed it.

"Tony!" Tim called

"Snooze, loose, McGooo" Tony said with a full mouth.

"I was saving that for my afternoon coffee!" Tim exclaimed.

Gibbs &amp; Kelly shared a look before looking between the pair, they both had smirks on their faces as Kelly pulled out her container of cookies "cookie dad?"

Gibbs just smiled "sure" he replied as he took one, he saw both Tony &amp; Tim eye the new stash "these are reserved for those with the name Gibbs, learn to ration the cookies you get more effectively" his wife &amp; daughter made a certain amount each week for the office &amp; they were divided up between everyone.

"I do! He took mine!" Tim remarked eyeing Tony "you owe me a cookie!"

"Put in an 'I owe you' for my next allotment" Tony replied "that was nice, thanks!"

Gibbs just stared in amazement, how many of his kids were actually 'adult' children?

Ziva could see the amusement in the eyes of everyone watching on, she was glad Tony could act like this even with everything going on. She knew it wouldn't end until something happened, so she decided to help "here McGee, you may have one of mine, Tony's 'I owe you' will be repaid to me" she finished with curt smile to Tony.

Tony just eyed her wondering what she meant.

"Can we get back to those men?" Kelly asked, while it was amusing to watch this brotherly tiff, she wanted to get back to things "what are their names?"

The team caught her up on everything found during the night &amp; morning. It included what they'd discovered about Rudolf, a German national another former special ops turned mercenary for hire.

"Any links between the pair?" Kelly asked

"We've found nothing connecting the pair before they left the Milan airport in that car together" Ziva answered.

Kelly nodded, but her phone rang, she saw the number was Jim! "Hey Jim, what have we got?"

Tony's eyes widened the investigator! He waited as patiently as possible, he saw Kelly start to pace as she listened, all she was saying was 'yea', 'uh huh', 'ok', it was driving him nuts! "Kell!"

"Hang on Tony, just give me another minute" Kelly said "sorry Jim, keep going"

Gibbs could see Tony was bursting at the seams, he placed a hand on his shoulder "relax, take a breath, as soon as she's done, she'll tell you what they've found"

Tony took a deep breath &amp; nodded, he just needed to know.

Kelly hung up, she was glad it just them, all the other teams had gotten back to everything, but she saw their eyes were on her "ok, it's a bit messy but Jim &amp; the team are getting there…"

"what'd they find?" Tony interrupted her.

Kelly smiled "they've managed to get into the archive records of the hospital, and the week she was born there were 6 babies put through adoption. Two were twins, two were boys. The remaining two were both girls. The hospital put them through different agencies for adoption, one was put to the New York Adoption Authority &amp; the other the Louise Fallon Adoption Agency. Both institutions are still open today &amp; they've got appointments at both places tomorrow morning their time to see what details they can get &amp; see if we can see which…"

"But we know her name &amp; her date of birth" Tony interrupted, why'd it matter how many babies were adopted that week or where they ended up? They knew his sister's details, surely it would help!

"We do Tony, but adoptions processes back then were very secretive &amp; strict, they were designed to severely limit the chances of the mothers….. and fathers, from being able to easily work out where their child ended up. The hospital records showed very few details of the babies they arranged adoption for. The outgoing forms only show the week of birth, sex, and a first initial, unlucky for us both girls have the initial of P" would the odds be?

Tony just huffed "how will they know which girl was…"

"Because legally the adoption agency's paperwork for when the child is placed has to match the birth certificate details" Kelly answered "so Jim will have to follow the paper trail for the two adoptions right through in order to see which baby was Patricia, it could take another few days Tony. I know it's hard, but you're going to have to be a little more patient"

Tony just nodded, what other choice did he have?

Tim could see Kelly was still mulling something over "Kell?"

"Just considering something, it'll have to wait though" Kelly answered, her idea wasn't 100% legal, her phone rang again, it was her office "can I use your office for a short while?" she asked her dad, she wanted to be around in case she could help.

"Sure" Gibbs replied

Kelly nodded &amp; collected her things as she answered her phone "Si Marisa?"

Tim watched her head up, he was curious about what was floating through her mind, but he saw Kruse &amp; the other return.

Gibbs knew there was something his girl was giving serious consideration too but he had no time ask he saw the field teams return "Donnelly! Kruse! Anything?"

"Yes boss" Donnelly replied, she was glad they'd found it "we found where we believe he shot from, but the scene was policed of any spent rounds. It was rooftop car-park. We collected numerous prints &amp; trash, Lovett &amp; Johns have taken them over the labs for processing"

"We canvassed the area &amp; no one saw anything suspicious, but we've got copies of a half dozen camera's from the area, so we can hopefully pick something up on those" Kruse added

Gibbs nodded &amp; motioned for them to get going, not that he needed to, they'd already started to turn around to move.

Kruse was just walking past the elevator when he saw Nix come off the lift, something was off "you ok Phoenix?"

Gibbs eyes &amp; ears peaked as soon as he heard Kruse speak, his son looked off indeed, he approached quickly "what's wrong?" he asked. He was however comforted by the fact that Mike had gotten off the lift too, so at least he'd had someone with him, so the concern wasn't a physical one. Though looking at Mike, there was tension, he was clearly annoyed at something.

"Yea, it's just that there's a lady down in the lobby trying to get herself &amp; another lady up here without having to wait for the visitor clearance badge to be processed" Nix started, he took a breath "but when she saw me basically walk straight through without delay, she…"

"She what Phoenix?" Gibbs prodded, his entire family had permanent visitor clearance ID's, but they never had to show them anymore, all the security guards knew them by sight.

"Let's just say she wasn't impressed that Nix was able to walk through without any checking or nothing &amp; voiced her opinion to him &amp; the MP's" Mike answered.

Gibbs nostrils flared, he wanted to meet this woman!

"Lt Andrews &amp; myself put her back into place" Mike added, he'd been in the lobby on the phone, but had sprung into action as soon as she started raving "he's still dealing with her, I thought it best to get Nix out of the situation"

"Who's she here to see?" Gibbs asked, he was glad though that Mike had removed his son from the situation.

"They gave Silva's name sir" Mike answered.

Silva swallowed, crap! Someone that was here to see her had pissed Gibbs off?! Great! Just Great! But.. "I'm not expecting anyone boss" she said quietly, he was eyeing her.

"They get up here &amp; I'm not around, send them straight to me Silva!" Gibbs ordered.

"Yes boss" Silva nodded.

Gibbs put his arm around his son's shoulder &amp; steered them back towards Tony's area, he was in his team tracksuit, so he was clearly on his way to the club grounds for game prep "you ok?"

"Yea, don't think she really liked that I got to go through looking like I do without complaint, yet she, with her badge was being stopped" Nix replied, he also couldn't help shake the feeling that the lady had looked him over more than once for other reasons.

"One of the perks of being the boss's kid Phoenix, good luck tomorrow" Kruse nodded towards him.

Nix smiled "Thanks"

Gibbs gave a small smirk, he was the only one that had perks from his position in this building. "Let's go see your sister in my office huh?"

Nix nodded "sounds good, can't stay long though, gotta get to the club"

Tim watched as Gibbs headed to his office with Nix, he knew he wasn't alone in his utter conflicting emotions, they all wanted to go see him play his first game, but they also had a commitment to finding Patricia. He really didn't know what to do, he felt like he had to both be at the game &amp; be here at NCIS looking for Patricia, neither options were appealing, there'd be someone that felt let down.

"McGee, Tim, man" Tony said quietly.

Tim looked across at him "yea Tony?"

"You go to the game, be our cheer squad" Tony said, he really want to go, but he just couldn't, but one of them could &amp; Tim deserved to go.

"Tony…" Tim tried to say.

"I'm your boss McGee, so no arguments, you're going, you go, scream, yell &amp; carry on for us, and I want a detailed report upon your return" Tony said more assertively.

"Thanks Tony" Tim smiled.

Silva had been caught watching the exchange between the pair she didn't hear the lift ding, she turned &amp; saw ladies approach, could these women be the two that Nix had dealt with "can we help you?"

Tony, Tim &amp; Ziva all turned to see who Silva was talking to &amp; their eyes all widened, they shared a look not quite believing their eyes.

* * *

**A/N: I know this was mainly a filler chapter, but we learnt a few things; they're getting closer to verifying Patricia's adoption, they've learnt who the fakers were, but can the various CCTV footage provide any details? And could a certain young redhead have a young lady friend? And could those cookies be office place currency? ;p (gotta have some fun amongst the tension :)**

**BUT just who are the visitors? I seriously doubt Gibbs will be happy to see them after their antics in the lobby with Nix, no matter who they are!**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hi folks, sorry for the absence, but life! To all my newest favourites &amp; followers, welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you so much for your support! Reading all your reviews keeps me inspired! Knowing so many people love this story, fills me with utter joy, so thank you!**

**I've had this chapter written for a while, but just haven't had a chance to get it up until now.. so here you go! Let's find out who the visitor is!**

* * *

Tony just stared wide eyed, what the heck? What on earth was she doing here? He could see Ziva &amp; Tim were just as surprised to see her as he was, taking a deep breath he stood. He had no idea who the other woman was, but he had no idea what she was doing here? Nor how her presence would be received! He could see though that she was looking just as surprised to see them as they were to see her.

Tim watched as Tony approached her, he had no clue what she was doing here &amp; his thoughts suddenly turned to how on earth she would be received? This could get interesting.. not to mention sticky!

Tony approached, sucked in another deep breath before speaking "Colonel Mann, what can we do for you?"

Mike was intrigued, this was the person who'd caused the racket downstairs &amp; now it seemed Tony &amp; the others knew her? He also couldn't work out who exactly she was, Tony had referred to her as 'Colonel', yet she was in civilian attire?

"Tony, what are you doing here?" Hollis asked quietly, she was utterly shocked to see them here, what were they doing in Naples?

"We work here" Tony answered "so, what can we do for you?" he asked again.

"You've all moved from DC?" Hollis asked back "even Jethro?" she added softly, she wondered why &amp; where he was.

Tony suddenly got the sense that where ever she'd been she hadn't heard anything, he turned to McGee "Call Gibbs, tell him to come down **_alone_**" he knew that it wouldn't be wise to have Kelly &amp; Nix come down too.

Silva wondered just who this Col Mann was? She could see Tony, Ziva &amp; Tim were all on tender hooks, she watched as Tim had the hushed &amp; rushed conversation.

"McGee will get him, but what can we do for you?" Tony added, he really wanted to know what she was doing here.

"I'm with the DOD now annddd…" Hollis replied, she would have continued but suddenly caught sight of Jethro coming down the stairs &amp; my gosh! Look at the man! What on earth?! He looked… well, he looked amazing! He was wearing, was that Armani? Whatever suit brand it was it was magnificent, a beautiful grey suit with a dark blue dress shirt underneath &amp; a grey tie to boot! since when did he wear that ensemble? But it was more than that, he looked.. different, she just couldn't work it out.

Gibbs headed out of his office, he didn't quite know what to make of McGee's cryptic message to come down alone. He considered it was to do with the lady that had ranted down in the lobby, if so, she was going to get a rude greeting! He was checking his phone as he walked &amp; got halfway down the stairs before he lifted his head to survey the scene &amp; stopped dead in his tracks, what the hell? What on earth was Hollis doing here?

Ziva watched as Gibbs stopped dead in his tracks, the shock was evident, it took him a few moments to realise he needed to keep walking, she just watched as he very carefully approached Tony &amp; Col Mann.

"Hollis" Gibbs greeted quietly "what are you doing here?" she retired, to Hawaii! What was she doing here? And clearly on the job?

"I'm with the DOD now, here to see an Agent Silva" Hollis answered "but what are you doing here?" what on earth was going on that would have his entire team here.

Gibbs was going to answer but he could see Vella had approached but was now hanging back, clearly wanting something "Need something Vella?" he'd welcome a distraction right now.

"Signature boss, need to board the Sea Hawk to speak to a few Seamen about the Post Office break in" Vella answered, he'd noted the mood in the area &amp; wasn't going to interrupt; but he also wasn't going to not answer Gibbs,.. that never ended well!

Gibbs nodded &amp; took the paperwork "don't forewarn Vella, and make sure you're done by 22:00, don't need you getting stuck on there when they depart" he instructed.

"Yes Boss" Vella nodded

"Wrapped up with 24 Vella" Gibbs added, he needed his teams clear of other major cases.

"Yes Boss" Vella nodded, his mind raced, he had 24 hours to wrap this up? The midnight oil was definitely going to be in order for his team! He wouldn't complain though, he knew why they had to get it wrapped up.

Mann just watched as the man walked away, she was rather taken by the conversation, just what was going on here?

Gibbs turned back to Hollis, this was not good timing! "So, why you here to see Silva?" he asked.

"What about you answer my question first, what are you all doing here?" Hollis asked.

Mike just watched, the team were clearly still on edge about this woman, he noted that the other lady was keeping a little back, but she was taking in as many people in the surrounding area as possible, she looked a little tense.

"We work here" Gibbs answered.

"You all just decided to up &amp; move to Naples, or did Vance reassign you?" Hollis prodded, he still didn't answer questions fully, but he looked good! Damn good!

"Family decision" Gibbs replied, he wanted to see if she really knew nothing because it sure seemed so.

"You have family here?" Hollis asked, she was getting more &amp; more confused by the minute.

"You meant apart from this lot" Gibbs remarked motioning to the bodies behind him.

Tony couldn't help but smile at that, he noticed Mann was looking a little surprised at his comment.

Gibbs knew he'd have to give her a quick overview, but not yet "Why we're here, isn't really you concern anymore Hollis. let's get back to what you're here to see Silva for" he had a strange feeling it was Tony-related.

Hollis wanted to keep prodding, she'd thought about him often, but she knew the look on his face, he wasn't going to explain further until she did "We're here to see Agent Silva regarding a search she did on Andre Withers, we have an interest in the man &amp; need to know why NCIS is looking for him. Any chance you can steer me in Silva's direction?"

Silva wanted to step forward but a sharp look from Tony &amp; Tim had her hanging back.

Gibbs knew it was Tony related! But what interests did the DOD have with him? "What interest does the DOD have with Withers?"

Ziva just watched, she was mighty curious as to what interest they had with Withers but she suddenly saw Kelly &amp; Nix heading out of Gibbs's office "ahh Gibbs" she said quietly &amp; flicked her head upwards.

Gibbs looked up to see his kids heading down, they were clearly discussing something good, cause they both had grins across their faces, he just smiled &amp; then swallowed, this is gonna be interesting!

Nx saw his dad from the stairs "Dad, I'm going to drop Kells over at the car place on my way to the club" he remarked to his dad as they approached.

"Mum wants you to call her about dinner tonight" Kelly added before she realised the tense atmosphere, she saw that her brother was now eyeing the 2 new women.

Hollis's eyes widened "Dad? Mum?" she asked in shocked, this young kid, the one who'd walked straight through security without needing to show ID was who? Jethro's son? What on earth?

Gibbs took a deep breath "Kelly, Phoenix, this is Hollis Mann, she's apparently with the Department of Defence now. Hollis, this my daughter Kelly &amp; son Phoenix"

Kelly &amp; Nix's eyes widened at her, they knew that name!

"ahh, hi" Hollis got out, what on earth?

"Hello" Kelly &amp; Nix replied formally.

Hollis was utterly confused! Kelly? That was the name of his dead daughter! She had no clue what was going on? "Ah,,, what is going on?"

Gibbs could see his kids were now tense &amp; he really didn't want get into right now, he turned back to Hollis "that's too a long a story for right now, why don't you explain who your friend is &amp; what you're interest in Withers is" he asked motioning to the other lady, he wanted to know who she was before they went any further.

Hollis was utterly gobsmacked! But she took a breath "Special Agent Gibbs this is…"

"He's not a Special Agent anymore!" Kelly &amp; Nix both interrupted her curtly.

Silva had seen how tense both Kelly &amp; Nix had gotten when introduced &amp; they'd interrupted her very quickly &amp; pointedly, she really wanted to know who this lady was.

"He's not?" Hollis asked back, but her eyes rested on Jethro, she went back to her previous thought, what on earth was going?

Tim could see just how tense the pair of them had become, but had to give a small smile to Ziva &amp; Tony at their interruption &amp; it was a smile he got in return from both of them, he was now intrigued at how Mann would take Gibbs's new position?

"He's now Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs" Nix replied eyeing her.

"Which means he easily outranks you" Kelly added, her dad was high enough that he outranked the majority of people they dealt with.

Hollis's eyes widened at Jethro "you? You took a promotion?" deep in the recessed of her mind, the interaction she saw before made sense now &amp; explained to why the boy had walked through security so easily. He'd never been interested in climbing the ranks before? What had changed?

"Yes" Gibbs answered, he really didn't want to get into anything right here &amp; now, he turned to the other woman "name" he instructed.

"Delilah Fielding" Delilah remarked stepping closer.

Gibbs eyes widened &amp; narrowed extremely quickly at the woman, Fielding? He changed his footing to place himself directly between her &amp; his kids, what now? Seriously? He wasn't sure he could handle much more.

Mike reacted instantly, he'd been leaning against Ziva's desk &amp; behind Nix &amp; Kelly, but as soon as he'd heard the name he pulled the pair behind him &amp; presented himself right behind Gibbs flaring his nostrils at the woman.

Tony's eyes widened at both the name &amp; Mike's reaction, clearly there was zero love lost for the guy &amp; Mac, just like the rest of them felt. He moved a little closer &amp; saw that Tim had basically come to stand right next to Kelly, but shielding her as he did.

"Is there some problem?" Delilah asked gently seeing them all converge on her.

"Jethro?" Hollis asked, what had got them all so riled by her mere name?!

Gibbs just eyed her menacingly, he could feel how close Mike was to him &amp; he'd seen the guy pull his kids further back too, he clearly did not like the revelations any better than him. He noticed too that Tim, Tony, Ziva, had moved closer &amp; were ready for who knew what. Giving a quick flash around the office he actually noticed that all the agents in the near vicinity were now giving this lady a death stare, it made him feel comforted to know how close they all considered each other to be.

"Is there a problem?" Hollis asked again, she could feel the weight of the entire room on them now.

Gibbs ignored her, he just eyed this lady, as he decided which avenue to go. They'd run down as many connections family or otherwise of Mac's as he could find, he'd known the man only had one sibling, a sister that died when still a child, but that didn't mean they couldn't be related, besides the guy was unfortunately a pro at hiding all this stuff. He considered that they could be cousins through his parents "what's your father's name?" he demanded, those cousins he'd spoken with &amp; determined they knew nothing.

"I'm sorry?" Delilah asked confused "what does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question" Gibbs demanded curtly.

"Liam" Delilah answered.

The name didn't ring a bell with him, but Gibbs shot a look to McGee, he'd done a lot of the grunt work for their investigation &amp; wondered if that name rang a bell.

Tim had basically planted himself right next to Kelly &amp; was eyeing this lady, the name wasn't familiar to him but given Gibbs &amp; Mike's tense standoff wasn't going to relax. He'd done a lot of the system searches for any of Mac's relatives that may have helped the man, but they'd found almost none, there were some cousins, but they'd not had any contact with Mac since his youth. He then heard Gibbs's question &amp; focused, Liam? He searched his memory banks &amp; came up with nothing, he shook his head in the negative.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief &amp; saw Ziva do likewise, he saw Gibbs was still tense, he knew why, overprotective to the hilt. He felt it too, but the name Fielding wasn't exactly uncommon, he stepped closer to his boss "Boss, it's a common name, there's no relation, think it's ok" he said gently. He knew it would take something to get Gibbs to come down from what they now referred to as his 'Rambo overprotective headspace' and he knew he was the only one who could do that.

Gibbs looked his charge firmly in the eye.

"It's ok boss" Tony said again as he held his boss's gaze.

Mann was extremely intrigued at this new sort of dynamic between the pair, she knew Jethro cared for his agents, but this was something else entirely.

Gibbs let out a long breath, Tony was probably right, it was a common name, he couldn't go Rambo overprotective every time.. but still.. he cast his eyes around &amp; saw that Donnelly was one of the agents watching on "Donnelly, escort them to the conference room, go through why they're here" she was one of his best interrogators.

"Yes boss" Donnelly replied &amp; moved to towards them.

Gibbs motioned to Ziva to come closer "you go too &amp; take Silva, find out what they want, but no discussion on any other matter"

"Of course" Ziva nodded, she turned to Col Mann "this way"

Hollis looked at Jethro taken aback "you're palming me off?"

"Didn't know you were coming &amp; I have one or two other things to take care of, including a NSA Senior Management meeting, which I'm chairing. My SFA's are more than capable to handle the situation" Gibbs replied, he didn't normally assert his rank, but he felt doing it now was appropriate. "I will call in when I'm done" he added, trying to finish a little more gently.

Hollis couldn't help but flash a surprised look, he was not only attending a meeting like that but chairing it? He'd never wanted a promotion before &amp; now it seemed it taken more than small jump up the command chain. What on earth had transpired?

Gibbs didn't wait for her to move, he'd get his kids moving "let's go" he said to them, they'd both stayed very quiet &amp; wanted to make sure they were ok but there was something else he wanted "McGee, Bond" he beckoned.

Tony watched as Gibbs put a hand on each of kids back's &amp; walked them to the stairs, Tim &amp; Mike had both fallen into step behind them, he looked back to Hollis who was still rooted to the same spot, he was going to say something but Wu caught his attention, so he'd make it brief "Gibbs will tell you, when he's ready, so don't try to ask Ziva or Silva otherwise you deal with me! And if you ask Donnelly, well… good luck!" he really liked his fellow SFA, she certainly knew how to hold her own in any circumstance, but he'd seen very few people work an interrogation like her!

Donnelly smirked "Ms Mann, Ms Fielding this way" she motioned.

* * *

Gibbs got down to the lobby, he wanted to speak to his kids, but had one thing he wanted to set in motion first "McGee" he beckoned again.

Tim wanted to make sure Kelly was ok, but he went over "boss?"

"Full background on that Fielding lady, everything from birth til she walked in, got me?" Gibbs asked, he needed to 100% sure she had nothing to do with **_him_**.

"Yes boss" Tim replied, he'd actually considered doing that very thing already.

"Start with the ID she checked in with" Gibbs motioned.

"Right boss" Tim agreed.

Mike followed Tim realising the family would want some privacy, but he was curious as to what Gibbs wanted with him.

"You two ok?" Gibbs asked the pair as he took them to a quiet area of the lobby.

"Think I was more thrown by Mann than that Delilah lady" Kelly admitted, personally she had more of an issue with Mann showing up than some lady with the name Fielding, especially after hearing the name rang no bells to her dad &amp; Tim.

"Me too" Nix added "she's arrogant"

"Thought she retired" Kelly remarked, their dad had told them about his 'other' women, it wasn't a pleasant session, but she was glad he trusted her enough &amp; respected them to share the information.

"That's what I thought" Gibbs agreed, "she's the one that had the issue with you walking through security wasn't she?"

"Yes" Nix answered "she's definitely stuck up" he loved putting her in her place with regards to his position &amp; the look on her face when his dad told her about the meeting, just brilliant!

Gibbs had never considered an arrogant person, he'd speak to Lt Andrews &amp; suss out exactly what happened "Just forget about her pal, you've got bigger things to concentrate on, alright?" he smiled.

Nix gave a small smile but decided to tackle the question he'd been wanting to ask all day, looking at his dad as he spoke quietly "you're coming aren't you?"

Gibbs eyes widened in surprise, then his heart sank, he put a hand on his son's shoulder &amp; cupped his chin "I will not be anywhere else Phoenix, you'll see me front &amp; centre, nothing &amp; no one is going to keep me from coming to your game, ok? What's our motto?" he asked, he'd obviously thought everything going on with Tony would keep from the game.

"Family First" Nix answer, glad for the reassurance, he had reservations that his dad wouldn't be able to make it, he'd been working so hard &amp; now his reward was here he'd been concerned his dad wouldn't make it "but Tony…" he tried to say.

Gibbs had to cut him off "Tony will understand, I'm sure he's even torn about the fact that he can't make it himself" he could see his son needed a bit more "You've worked your socks off, you really think I'm not going to be there to see the payoff? I wouldn't miss something like this Phoenix, I'll be there son, you can count on that" he assured his boy before giving him a kiss to his forehead.

"Thanks" Nix replied with a small smile as he leaned into his dad's hold.

Gibbs just smiled, he had a question that would change the subject completely &amp; he knew it would lighten the mood "so, what car we hiring?"

Kelly grinned "well, we were thinking a Porsche, or maybe Ferrari"

Nix let out a grin "Lamborghini?" he suggested

Gibbs eyes widened "I'm sorry?" were they nuts?

Kelly laughed, the look on his face was priceless! "Chill dad, that was a joke! We're just going to get an Alfa Romero or maybe BMW"

"What about something like a Toyota or Hyundai, we're only getting it for a few weeks, just until Christmas" Gibbs remarked, why'd they always go high end &amp; it was only a short term hire too.

"Cause we're car snobs, I freely admit that. I am not driving a Toyota when we can easily afford a better car" Kelly answered, she knew she was a car snob, but they could afford this kind of luxury, so why not?

Nix nodded in agreement "She's right, why should we settle if we can afford the cars we like?"

Gibbs just shook his head, they did have point "A BMW then" he had to admit, he always wondered what those were like to drive.

"What happened to the Toyota?" Kelly smirked.

"You're right, we can afford it &amp; this one I choose" Gibbs smirked back, he'd let them choose the Range Rover &amp; Lexus, so he'd take this one "silver" he added.

"The BMW blue is really nice" Kelly remarked, she really liked it.

Gibbs could see the look in her eyes "ok, blue, if they have, silver if they don't, but not black!"

"We never get black cars" Nix said, to him black wasn't a safe colour on the roads, and it was something his sister agreed upon, they all did.

Gibbs could see Mike &amp; Tim both standing a little away trying to give the trio some space, he beckoned them over "Michael, go with them, they're going to pick up a spare car, then I want you &amp; you" he said looking at him &amp; his daughter "to follow Nix to the club" he knew once at the club his son would be fine.

"Why?" Kelly asked.

Tim had a feeling he knew why, that Fielding lady had put him on edge.

Gibbs didn't want to upset them by bringing up that lady again, they seemed to be in a better mood "just to satisfy me that he gets there, big game, big day, just do it for me please"

"Okaaayy" Kelly replied, she had feeling now why.

"Certainly sir" Mike agreed, he knew why Gibbs wanted him to go &amp; was more than willing to do so.

Gibbs nodded "McGee see Kelly to their car" he knew he wanted a moment, but he looked to his girl "when you two get back, straight up to Tim, he's not there &amp; up to my office"

Kelly just nodded, she knew she'd have to let her dad's 'Rambo' mode play out by itself.

Gibbs turned his son "have a good night sleep, if you're restless, can't sleep for whatever reason you just call us ok?" he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep with his nerves, so he had hunch his son would be likewise.

"I will, thanks" Nix smiled, he wasn't too nervous yet but it was definitely building!

Gibbs shook his head as he took him into an embrace "that word, never necessary son, I'm so proud of you, just relax &amp; enjoy it all, you deserve it. Mum, Kells, gramps &amp; I will be front &amp; centre for the game, we're right there with you"

Nix just let his dad hold him, he could scarcely believe that not even a year ago he didn't know his dad was alive, so to have him with him was special in itself. But knowing he had this kind of support.. was beyond words, he loved it! "Love you dad" he whispered into his dad's neck.

Gibbs smiled &amp; pressed a kiss to his forehead "Love you too son" pulling back he could see Mike was giving them a little space, which he was glad about, a thought then came to him, he patted his son's chest "and get this one a jersey, I'm sure he'd more than happy to don the sky blue of Napoli for you" he finished with a smirk.

Mike gave a sly grin "different emblem"

Nix grinned "it will be satisfying seeing you in sky blue"

Gibbs just smiled "go on bud" he motioned "oh &amp; no telling your mum about our guests, ok? Let me tell her" he wanted to tell her about Mann first &amp; foremost.

Nix smiled &amp; nodded "sure thing dad, **_I_** wont say word"

Mike nodded at Gibbs "they'll be fine sir"

Gibbs nodded at him "make sure of that Captain" he knew there was no reason for him to be nervous based on what they knew, but his gut was still unsettled &amp; he never liked that!

"I will sir" Mike nodded again &amp; followed Nix, he nodded at McGee as they passed each other &amp; hopped into the backseat of their car, it took a moment but soon he was joined by the pair.

Nix allowed his sister to drive, the road to the car place was fairly windy, but he immediately brought up the contacts on their navigation screen "need to call mum" he grinned.

Mike raised his eyebrow "Squirt"

Nix flashed a look back &amp; then saw the inquisitive look he was getting from his sister "dad said I can't tell mum about the guests, he never said to tell you **_you_** couldn't" he finished with a grin.

Kelly grinned "sounds about right" loving her brother's thought pattern, this should be good!

"No telling your mother!" Gibbs remarked briskly opening the drivers side door &amp; looking pointedly at his daughter, he turned to his son, who he could see was shocked by his deduction "nice try Phoenix, I still know everything" he smirked.

Mike chuckled, both Nix &amp; Kelly had for the slightest moment thought they'd get one up on their dad….. boy were they wrong!

* * *

**A/N: Ow! So Hollis Mann has shown up, that's certain to bring some interesting moments! But we've got another visitor too,**** a certain Delilah Fielding , but is Delilah a good person, or could she be somehow related to Mac? **

**(I was &amp; still am intrigued about the writers decision to use the same surname for Joanne &amp; Mac to Delilah, so I just have to play with it! ;)**

**What exactly is the DOD's interest with Andre Withers? And how will things go for Nix? Can Nix &amp; Kelly get around their dad's insistance that they NOT tell mother?**

**I will be honest, I'm not 100% sure when I will get the next chapter up, but I will do my best to get it up soon! To those also on the ride I call 'A Chance Encounter' please know I am doing my best to get a new chapter up as soon as I can!**

**Please review away! I love to read them! **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my latest followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard, I'm so glad to have you with us on this continuing adventure! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I love hearing your thoughts.**

**To my Guest Reviewers, who I can't reply privately to:**

**None: Thanks for the review! Flirting with Delilah &amp; Tim, well maybe.. but yea, if it happens Kelly will definitely have something to say.**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you're liking it!**

**Momcat: Firstly, thank you so much for your very detailed reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Saying that, I have to ask that you actually read the first story in this series - More than he dreamed of - as I stated, you have to read that first to understand this story &amp; all the dynamics at play. Many of your comments would infact be answered if you'd have read that one first &amp; going forward, you certainly wont understand much without having read it. Mike is a nice a guy, his actions are all due to circumstances, he's not as you described. Kelly &amp; Nix both got various things from both their parents, the various teams interactions, Abby not being on scene (so far) and Shannon's nightmares are all situations that were explained/started in the first story. The other thing I have to ask is that you keep your Anti-Abby &amp; team V McGee comments to a minimum, while I can apprecaite you are a McGee fan &amp; you're not the only one, ****everyone has different opinions on the character dynamics, but as you've said, the team are a family in my universe &amp; are acting as such, so please keep those 'world against McGee' comments to a minimum. Tim is in a great relationship &amp; has a great family around him now, none of my characters would bully anyone (Shannon wouldn't allow it!). I also have many loyal followers who love Abby &amp; I know they're waiting for her come back into the story &amp; she will be. So please, read MTHDO so you can continue on this adventure with us &amp; get a better understanding of my universe.**

**Now... I recieved some advice &amp; I have to say I agree, with Dr Brine being the head of the base hospital, he would be military &amp; such should addressed as such, so I'm going to have him be a Navy Commander. Also, for this chapter bare in mind that ****DI = Drill Instructor ;)**

**Just to let you know that Nix's game is still a few chapters away &amp; there were a few thngs that I wanted to deal with, plus I had a pretty tough week &amp; needed to write some fun stuff.. enjoy!**

* * *

Gibbs walked out of the management meeting with Col Marks &amp; Commander Brine, he considered something that he'd never tell anyone, he kind of enjoyed these meetings. To be given the responsibility of managing the affairs for the entire base, including its staff, facilities &amp; all matters related, really was an honour he enjoyed. Yes it was sometimes a shit fight to get things dealt with, yes it sometimes came at inappropriate times, like now, and yes some matters he found entirely frustrating to deal with, but to have the responsibility to do it was an honour, and one he enjoyed.

"You think we're going to get that funding?" Brine asked

"All we can do is ask" Marks commented.

Gibbs nodded "we'll ask, they'll say no, we'll ask again, it'll be a cycle until they get sick of us asking" he finished with a smirk, this part of the politics was something he'd already learnt, you had to play that dance.

Marks chuckled, Gibbs was still in the process of learning about some aspects of management &amp; politics, but had already sussed out this aspect of politics, his smile faded though as the trio were met in the hallway by Lt Gomez who was coming towards them.

Gibbs smile turned into a death glare, aimed directly at Gomez.

Gomez spotted the trio who was approaching him in the hallway &amp; swallowed, he drew himself up against the wall &amp; stood at attention, praying they just passed him without stopping to speak to him.

Part of Marks wanted to just walk past, but he decide against it "Lieutenant, how's your report coming?" he asked with a raised eyebrow

"You'll have it by 21:00 Sir" Gomez answered formally, he groaned internally.

Brine could see that Gibbs was just sending the guy death glares, he knew though that whatever report Marks had ordered him to write was related to what Gomez had done with Kelly &amp; he knew why Marks had brought it up "What report?" he asked sending his own glare to the Lt.

"Give Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs &amp; Commander Brine the title of your report, Lieutenant" Marks ordered.

Gomez swallowed, he wished he didn't have to answer, but knew there was not a chance to **_not_** reply "Why a United States Marine must always show respect to anyone they converse with &amp; behave in a manner befitting a marine and an officer, sir"

"Correct &amp; who shall be reading it to make sure that you've captured the essence of your statement?" Marks prodded, he'd yet to tell Gibbs, thought this would be a good way to do it.

Gomez swallowed again "Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, sir" he was already shitting himself about that!

Gibbs raised his eyebrow, he was glad he'd be the one to read it.

"Yes he will &amp; if he deems it not acceptable, you will keep re-writing it, until it he deems it acceptable" Marks added "Gibbs, shall he bring the report straight you tonight?"

Gibbs considered it, more than likely with him being off for part of tomorrow with the game, he would be working back tonight, he brought himself right in front of the man &amp; eyed him "yes, Lt Gomez, you will present yourself at my office at 21:00 with your report in hand, if you even consider being a minute late, you will not like the consequences, do I make myself clear Lieutenant?" he finished staring right into the man's eyes giving him a right good glare.

"Yes sir!" Gomez responded as though Gibbs was his DI.

Brine followed Gibbs &amp; Marks past the Lieutenant, he looked rather pale "you look ill Lieutenant, you should see someone about that" he remarked softly with a smirk.

"Yes sir!" Gomez replied, he'd already realised he screwed the pooch, but shit, this was getting bad, he hadn't been able to go anywhere on base without someone saying something &amp; now he was going into the NCIS building? This wasn't going to be pretty!

Coming out of the building both Marks &amp; Brine could see that Gibbs was still rather tense, they didn't have much time to spare, so Marks went a diversion they had to discuss anyway "I take it the tickets are still on offer for tomorrow's game Gibbs?"

Gibbs was glad for the diversion &amp; couldn't help but smile "Yeap, got some for both of you &amp; your families, Kells will be bringing them home with her this afternoon, so feel free to send someone over to collect them later tonight"

"I'll send one of the kids over tonight to collect them, we're all looking forward to it, it's quite the accomplishment for him in such a short space of time" Brine remarked, he was quite surprised when he'd heard about Nix's promotion to the starting side so soon into his time with the club, but him &amp; his family were all looking forward to watching him.

"You're telling me!" Gibbs replied "I'm still coming to terms with it myself" he admitted.

"I bet" Marks remarked "I'll send one of the boys over to get the tickets after dinner" even though he'd only known Gibbs &amp; his family a short time, living right next door &amp; working so closely with the guy had meant they spent quite a bit of time together &amp; they'd become friends, they'd all gone on the ride with Phoenix as he set off trying to fulfil his dream, he had to admit, he was looking forward to it, there was something else though "I know we spoke about this in the meeting Jethro, but remember that if you need anything regarding the search for Kaplan, just let me know, whatever resources you need, we'll get"

Gibbs nodded in appreciation "Thanks, will let you know &amp; I'll let Shan know the boys are swinging by too"

Brine watched as Gibbs headed off "you realise Gomez is going to be shark bait walking into that building don't you?" the entire NCIS staff would likely swallow him whole! He sort wished he could watch.

Marks smirked "That's the point" this might finally make the man realise how to act around other people.

Both men shared a chuckle as they got on with their days.

* * *

Tim was busy at his desk, he was doing that assessment on Delilah Fielding, wanting to get it done fast he'd enlisted Zuse to run down her work history &amp; everything professional on her. He was taking the personal front, as that was his, Gibbs &amp; really everyone's source of concern. From what he could see so far, he couldn't find connection between her &amp; Mac, he'd even taken a look at his ongoing file they had about Mac &amp; his connections &amp; come up empty on anyone by the name of Liam or Delilah.

What Tim did see was that Delilah did similar studies to himself in college &amp; had similar interests, it kind of intrigued him to know just what her professional life was like, he looked up "Zuse! What have you got?"

"Ahh, here you go McGee" Zuse said handing him some paperwork, he was a little nervous, this was his first background assessment &amp; hoped he hadn't missed anything. He'd also been given a very brief highlight as to who MacDonald Fielding was &amp; what had transpired, so to be given this responsibility was nerve racking to say the least.

As Tim scanned the documents he saw she was currently a cyber analyst, he wondered what someone like her interested in Withers was? He thought pattern got interrupted as he heard the elevator ding &amp; heard that familiar voice he loved so much.

"I would have been quick" Kelly commented.

"Give me a break Kells! You're never quick" Mike smirked.

"I can be" Kelly retorted.

"yea right!" Mike rolled his eyes.

Kelly whacked him on his arm in frustration.

"Don't assault me when I'm right" Mike chuckled

Kelly just eyed him as she approached Tim "hi" she smiled.

Tim smiled "Hey, Nix get to the club ok?"

"Yes, he is safe &amp; sound within the club's walls" Kelly replied.

Tim was glad to hear it, but he was curious as to what they'd been discussing "everything ok?" he asked, the pair were still eyeing each other off.

"Fine" Kelly answered, trying to brush it off "I'm going up to use dad's office, need to make a few calls" she gave Tim a quick kiss "back soon"

Tim smiled "no worries"

Mike smirked at her as she passed him "at least there's no mal... yeowch!" he couldn't finish the sentence because she'd whacked him again, this time in his midriff.

Tim watched her go up &amp; turned to Mike "Something I should know?" she clearly wasn't happy with Mike at the moment &amp; having her upset at anything, he never liked.

Mike smirked "let me ask you something McGee, you ever had the pleasure of going to a mall with her &amp; **_only_** spent 5, maybe 10 minutes there?"

Tim let out a small smile, but then something wasn't right, "you went to the mall?" he was sure Gibbs had said straight back here.

"No, but only because I said no" Mike retorted, he knew Gibbs wouldn't like that extra excursion "so?"

Tim couldn't help but let out a small smile "she never can spent only 5 to 10 minutes in a mall, ever!"

Mike smiled "And that's exactly what reasoning I gave when she asked to 'duck into the store for 2 minutes' line, hence her…"

Tim just nodded "I think my record with her is like 45 minutes, and that was a quick run just to grab a necessity"

"Geez, mine's like 70 minutes!" Mike chuckled.

The pair smiled at each other, but were soon hit in the head one after the other, they looked to see where it had come from &amp; Kelly was standing at the top of the stairs. Tim looked down to see what she'd thrown &amp; it was paper towel.

"You've become violent!" Mike grinned.

"I'll give you violent!" Kelly remarked staring at the pair.

"Kell, he has a point, you've never done a quick trip to the mall" Tim said giving her a wry smile "and don't throw that!" he finished, seeing her still holding some paper towel.

Kelly was going to reply when she saw her dad come off the lift, a lightbulb went off "dad! They're both annoying me! Can you talk to them? I'm going to your office!" they give her crap, she gets them up shit creek! She grinned to herself.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the pair of the boys who were now staring at him wide eyed "well?"

Mike swallowed, damn his friend was evil! "She's upset I vetoed a quick detour to the mall, sir &amp; McGee was merely agreeing that she can't do short trips to the mall"

"The mall?" Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow, he said straight back.

"She wanted to **_quickly_** duck in to grab something, I knew you wouldn't approve &amp; knew it wouldn't be a short trip, so I said no. So she's annoyed" Mike answered.

Gibbs hid the smile, but the boys were right, his girl did **_not_** do quick trips to the mall "and that paper towel?" he asked that was now in Tim's hands, why was he holding that?.

"She threw them at our heads when we were agreeing on the matter, boss" Tim explained, this felt so childish, but given she'd ratted them out, when it was her that was being childish, he had to explain it.

This time Gibbs couldn't hide the smile, he even chuckled quietly "uh huh, come on" he said motioning to the pair to follow him.

Tim &amp; Mike shared a look wondering what he had planned.

"Nix at the club?" Gibbs asked Mike

"Yes sir, safe &amp; sound, I even checked in with their security officer &amp; asked hem to keep an extra eye on him" Mike responded.

"Good" Gibbs nodded in thanks, he turned to Tim "You find anything yet?"

Tim knew what he was talking about "Nothing boss, no connection that I could find at all"

Gibbs nodded again, he was glad to hear it, he wasn't sure what he'd have done if there was. He led the trio into his office &amp; saw his daughter was sitting on his couch, shoes off &amp; reading something. He put his folder down on his desk &amp; proceeded to take his tie off, glad to be rid of it with no more meetings required. He just eyed his daughter, he knew she felt his gaze but was doing her best to ignore him, and the other two, who were still standing around.

Gibbs sat down on the couch next to his girl &amp; cleared his throat, he waited for her to raise her eyes to him "anything to say?"

"Can't think of a thing" Kelly said plainly "except I'm trying to read through this stuff for a client, meeting's tomorrow, so I really need to get through it" she finished before dropping her gaze.

Tim saw Gibbs motion him to pass the paper towel balls, so he did so.

"So these paper balls here" Gibbs started, rolling them through his fingers "did they at least hit the intended targets?"

Kelly grinned as she lifted her head "of course! My aim is still 100% accurate"

Tim could have been shocked at what Gibbs was saying but he really wasn't, he just smiled shaking his head at the dynamic at play.

"I'm glad" Gibbs agreed, he stood but looked down to his "and for the record, you my girl, have never ever done a quick trip to the mall, any mall, ever! So I'm glad Mike vetoed that side excursion" he finished with a big smirk.

"Dad!" Kelly groaned "I have so! If its only something I need quickly, I can be fast"

Gibbs leaned down "we don't lie in this family Kelly Anne, so zip it, you know we are right" he finished with a smirk.

Tim's eyes widened at Kelly's reaction, first she'd dropped her head backwards in a groan, but she then took hold of the paper towel &amp; threw it at her dad.

Gibbs just smiled at her actions "Thank you angel, its been too long since mum &amp; I have had to enact the penalty for F13"

Kelly smile turned into a look of horror, huh? "I didn't hit you!"

Gibbs again leaned down "You threw something at me that hit me, close enough" he chuckled, he gave her a quick kiss to her head &amp; headed back out of the office. It was time to go find Hollis &amp; see why she was here!

As soon as he'd left the office Kelly rounded on the pair in front of her "this is your fault!"

"Our fault?" Tim &amp; Mike both asked shocked.

"Yes, whatever you said to him brought him up here" Kelly replied.

"**_You are_** the one that told him that **_we_** were annoying you! when it was the other way around. That means its **_your_** fault, not ours!" Mike replied.

"You tell your dad on us, you live the consequences of that" Tim added, he couldn't believe she was blaming them for it!

"Out! Both of you!" Kelly ordered, she was annoyed at what was to come!

"You gotta learn to take it when you dish it out KG" Mike smirked.

"Mike's got a point Kells, don't light the fire unless you can handle the heat" Tim grinned.

Kelly eyed them both "I'm so glad you are two are buddies now! But I've got work to do, so go be bumchumps elsewhere!"

Leaving the office Mike had to smile "I'd forgotten how stubborn she can be, you must have strong will power dealing with her, she sometimes drove me nuts!"

Tim smiled, over the last 24 hours he'd really come to understand that Mike wasn't a threat, he was just protective of his friend, he was merely a good friend of Kelly's that wanted her to be with someone that made her happy. Maybe he could learn a few things "More than happy to hear about those times, might help in future"

* * *

**A/N: Well, firstly Gomez, is he going to be what did Brine say, shark bait? Me thinks so! But it seems like the boys have found an ally in each other in dealing with a certain lady that's stubborn, one with blue eyes perhaps? Kelly wasn't really impressed with them, but they did have a point, she brought that penalty against herself! But can Kelly come up with something to get back at them &amp; possibly even her dad? ;) **

**Glad that Tim has found no connection between Delilah &amp; Mac, but is there still something there? And just how will Gibbs go with Hollis? What is she doing here?**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More to come**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Hi folks, here's another chapter! Sorry for the absence, but I've been snowed under with work &amp; University! To my recent followers &amp; favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, I can't tell you how much I apprecaite &amp; love reading your thoughts on this story, they help keep me inspired! Sorry I wasn't able to reply to you all individually this time, but I want to get this chapter up, before getting back to it.**

**So, without further ado, here we go!**

* * *

Gibbs couldn't help but smile to himself, even when he was stressed, he could always count on his family to sooth &amp; calm him, and bonus he had something to look forward to, though it would have to wait for after the game, because the F13 penalty was done as a family, no party was left out of it, he couldn't help but grin at that.

Gibbs made his way down the stairs &amp; he couldn't help but cast his mind to Hollis, he wanted to speak with her &amp; get a better handle on what she was doing here before he spoke to his wife. He spotted one of his SSA's, he had another matter to deal with first "Brunswick!" he called.

"Yes boss" Brunswick answered approaching him.

"I know a lot of people were hoping to get to the game tomorrow, but we're going to have to ration it out, I have 3 sets of tickets, one for the Junior agents, one for the SFA's &amp; one for you and the other SSA's. You &amp; the other SSA's are to decide how to deal them out, leave Tony's team out of it" Gibbs ordered, he'd already spoken with Tony &amp; knew Tim was going, the rest of his team had all said they were staying on the search.

"Of course boss, I'll take care of it" Brunswick agreed, she both really wanted to get to that game &amp; get through her current case so she could help with the search, so she knew why Gibbs was rationing who could go.

"Good" Gibbs agreed,he was about to ask where her case was up to when he spotted Donnelly &amp; Ziva bringing Hollis &amp; that Fielding lady into the bullpen, he let out a small sign, he wished he'd have a few more minutes to get through everything else first.

Hollis couldn't say that debrief had been what she'd been hoping for, it was totally one way, they hadn't told her anything about why they were interested in Withers, only grilled her on what the DOD's interest had been. They had gone round &amp; round, it was extremely frustrating. Apparently, their side, would only get discussed once they'd passed their report on to Jethro, and that wouldn't happen until he was out of that management meeting. She'd still not been able to get more details about why they were all here &amp; what exactly had transpired with his family!

She followed the NCIS contingent back into the main area &amp; instantly saw Jethro there, while he no longer had a tie on, he still looked… she just couldn't get used to it, was he looking younger? Healthier? or just well, happier? She couldn't really place it.

Gibbs could see the curiosity all over Hollis's face, he'd have to speak with her soon. He needed to speak with his agents without them first though, but his girl was in his office "Zuse! Dodd!" he called.

Zuse had been buried in his computer, he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to being shouted at like that, but he knew he'd have to try, because he was in it for the long haul &amp; this was part &amp; parcel of working at NCIS. He could see his fellow probationary agent was thinking the same thing as they both answered "yes boss?"

"Escort the DOD personel back to the conference room, I'll be there in a few" Gibbs ordered.

"Yes boss" the pair answered rising from their seats.

"We've just come from there Jethro, surely we can skip whatever this is &amp; get down to it?" Hollis asked, not liking he was again palming her off &amp; they'd just spent 3 hours there going through everything from her end, that was all she could take.

Tony &amp; Ziva flashed each other a worried look, they didn't know how Gibbs would respond.

Donnelly &amp; Brunswick flashed each other a look of surprise, no one, other than Shannon ever called Gibbs Jethro in the office, ever! who was this woman?

"I need an update from my SSA's, I will be in after that &amp; we can 'get down to it' I have more going on than just what you're here for" Gibbs replied, he wasn't used to someone rebutting an instruction.

Hollis's eyes widened, she was already confused &amp; this again added another layer "Fine but this is important, highest priority" she'd never known him to not just hone in on the highest priority assignment &amp; go full steam until it was dealt with.

"So the sooner you go, the sooner we can deal with it" Gibbs suggested "Go!" he ordered his agents.

"Yes boss" Zuse &amp; Dodd answered.

Gibbs watched them go &amp; was about to ask Donnelly what was going on when Tony caught his eye, he looked confused "something wrong DiNozzo?"

Tony flashed Gibbs a look, but returned his gaze to the level above "never thought those two would be laughing together" he observed, Tim &amp; Mike were walking in tandem &amp; laughing with each other.

Gibbs smirked "they've had to unite to combat an opposing force" but he was actually glad the pair were breaking the tension that had been between them.

Mike was coming down the stairs still quietly chuckling "we'll need a couple of beers"

Tim shared a smile with him "you're on"

"You two done?" Gibbs enquired of the pair.

Tim &amp; Mike looked up to Gibbs "yes boss" "yes sir" they smiled

"She's… working" Tim added with wry smile.

""I bet" Gibbs smirked, but he turned instantly to Donnelly &amp; Ziva "well?"

Donnelly saw Ziva give her a nod, so she took a deep breath "Withers was on their watch-list as a person of serious interest for his dealing on one of the illegal dark web exchanges, he was someone that offered his unique services to the highest bidder"

"What kind of services?" Tony asked.

"You name he did it" Donnelly replied &amp; continued "obtaining sensitive information, finding people for the wrong people, connecting people together, for gun-running, hardware, drugs, they even have one open investigation going where they believe he was involved in the slave trade"

Kruse felt disgusted "should've shot the bastard" he spat to himself.

"Do they know of any connections he had with Guthrie through the exchange?" Gibbs asked

"Not sure Gibbs" Ziva answered "they've given us screen names of some of the people he connected with, but they haven't been able to connect names to their online persona's, Withers was the lead they were hoping to use to break up that exchange site"

Gibbs considered how to deal with this now, he had one more question to ask Ziva "she ask anything?"

Ziva knew what he meant "she tried, but I told her she had to wait for you to speak with her"

Gibbs rubbed his chin "ok, Ziva give Wu the names from the exchange &amp; see what you can unearth, bring in the NATO lab &amp; heck, get Abby on the case if you need the help."

"Yes Gibbs" Ziva agreed "Yes Boss" Wu agreed..

"Brunswick, where you are up to?" Gibbs enquired, hoping his agent was close to closing her case with those sailors.

"Awaiting a warrant boss, we can then search the Petty Officer's residence. We've got a DNA sample, just need to find something to match it to" Brunswick answered.

"Check with Alice on its progress, I want you to wrap it up by tomorrow" Gibbs ordered

"Yes Boss" Brunswick replied, by tomorrow? This was going to be a fun weekend!

"Donnelly, McGee, lets go see them" Gibbs motioned, but he looked to Mike "you, keep her up there" he finished pointing towards his office.

Mike raised his eyebrow "ahhh….. I'll do my best sir" the way Kelly was acting at the moment, keeping her anywhere, challenging to say the least! He really didn't want to deal with her currently, she needed time to cool off.

"noooo" Gibbs smirked "you knew what you were getting into when you signed up, you run towards the gunfire, not away from it marine, suck it up!"

"Yes sir" Mike replied automatically, given that comment &amp; tone, it was pure instinct.

Gibbs hid his grin, he could see the startled looks, including Tim's, he eyed him "if I was you, I would be grateful to the Captain or you'd be knee deep in that gunfire" what he wouldn't say was that he was grateful too! He knew his girl would be cranky for a while &amp; needed time for cooling off.

"Yes boss" Tim swallowed, he followed his boss but quickly whispered to Mike "beer's on me" he'd been startled by Gibbs' comment to Mike, but had to admit, he was grateful to not have to keep Kelly in that room, he knew right now she just needed space to cool off.

"Bet your ass" Mike mumbled as he headed for the stairs….…how'd he end up with this detail? He wasn't even the boyfriend anymore!

Tony's eyes widened at Gibbs remarks, he knew he wasn't alone, there were many sets of eyes that were startled by his comments. He saw a look pass between Mike &amp; Tim, he was sure they'd said something but just couldn't hear! He watched as Mike walked towards Gibbs office, the guy looked like he was really walking towards gunfire, he wondered what exactly had happened earlier, he just had to know!

"Captain" Tony called following him up the stairs.

Mike sighed, but turned to look at him "Agent DiNozzo?" he asked, curious as to what he wanted, though he was glad for the momentary reprieve.

"I have to ask, what was that about? And what happened earlier?" Tony enquired.

"Dear miss Kelly can dish it out but she can't take it" Mike answered "so now she's annoyed at me &amp; McGee, she clearly needs time to cool off, I swear she can channel her mum so easily when it comes to stubborn pissed off demeanour, and now, I, I have to go in there!" he was not looking forward to this "I'm not even her damn boyfriend anymore!" he muttered again, only out loud this time.

Tony couldn't help but smirk "I'd say it's her dad that she channels" while he'd dealt with Shannon being stubborn and angry, Gibbs definitely took the cake with pissed off demeanour! And the times he'd had to deal with Kelly in that mood, was definitely like her dad!

Mike eyed him "then you've clearly never had to deal with Mrs G when she's truly pissed!" he retorted

Tony could only presume that he had! Oh, he wanted to know this! He was about to ask about it when he heard his phone go off – it was a message from Gibbs. He read it _'you're deciding what details we tell Mann &amp; this Fielding lady, so come to the Conference Room – NOW!'_

"Gotta scoot, but I want to finish this conversation, I want details!" Tony remarked

Mike raised his eyebrow "you want details, you can add to the beer tab your buddy is currently funding" he was not going to give any of those details without a payoff!

"Done" Tony smirked, he knew he'd have to pay for this information!

Tony entered the conference room and quickly panned the room, he saw Mann at one end of the room, she was looking stunned, but both Gibbs &amp; Tim, who were up the other end, were showing wee little smiles he wondered what they were in aid of. Donnelly, who was between them &amp; had Delilah across from her, just looked confused. He wondered what words had been exchanged thus far. He was however glad that Gibbs was allowing him to explain only what he wanted them to know "Where are we at Boss?"

"We're up to the meeting Withers held posing as the INTERPOL agent, Agent Mann wants to know why Withers would assume the NCIS agent should know the Commanders whereabouts" Gibbs stated, he used his wording carefully, to tell Tony that he had yet to say it was **_him_** involved thus far.

Tony caught onto what Gibbs had said &amp; why, he nodded in understanding &amp; agreed "he was after intel about if the Commander's whereabouts was known by the agent"

Hollis wondered why he'd suddenly come into the meeting, as well as taken over the explanation of things. She needed to get things moving &amp; find out what was going on, but thus far they hadn't been told much else. Only that Withers had impersonated an INTERPOL agent in order to access an NCIS agent and interrogated the NCIS agent and the agent's lawyer's apparently in regards to the location of some Navy Commander. She was a little curious, again, about his lack of hesitation of the lawyers involvement, he hated lawyers! But that's all they'd been told that and that Withers was also a person on interest in the disappearance of the Navy Commander. There was one other thing that she was wondering "who is the NCIS agent involved? Shouldn't they be here?"

"You're right he should be here, and he is here" Tony replied, taking a breath before continuing "I'm the agent &amp; Withers wanted to know if I knew where my sister was."

"Sister?" Hollis queried taken aback "you have a sister?" she was sure he didn't have one, but then again, she was certain Gibbs hadn't had a real live family just a few hours ago!

"Yes Tony has a sister &amp; for the purpose of this discussion she is the missing Navy Commander" Gibbs answered, while they were still waiting on official confirmation, he believed that was only a matter of time &amp; it would serve no purpose to keep dealing in the 'maybe' line, especially for Tony.

"I didn't know you had…" Hollis started, but got cut off.

"That's another discussion for later" Gibbs interrupted "that bares no impact on the case" he added making sure she knew it was no go territory.

"Fair enough, please Tony, keep going" Hollis remarked, she saw a flashed look between Gibbs &amp; Tony, and saw a look of understanding &amp; maybe thankfulness, their relationship had definitely changed.

Tony was glad for Gibbs's intervention on that subject matter, but he wanted to give some sort of answer "I only just found out about her" he took a breath before continuing "him &amp; his supposed partner, Guthrie were trying to have us believe they'd been assigned to investigate her disappearance, they told us she was part of some sort of NATO taskforce &amp; as such it was their responsibility to find her. They wanted to know when the last time I'd had contact with her was, which was pretty easy to say, cause I'd never had contact with her."

"That doesn't sound right, NATO would always work side by side with US authorities" Delilah remarked quietly, she'd done joint projects with some NATO teams and investigations were always a joint affair.

"Ya think" Gibbs replied briskly

Tony wondered how long it would take Gibbs to get comfortable with her,he just carried on like he'd never stopped "Once pressed they said that she'd gone missing from a UK Training base in Norfolk and she'd been touring around looking at various bases in Europe and the UK. He said her laptop had been left behind &amp; that's where they got my details from, but apart from that she'd just vanished from her accommodation there"

Tim saw Tony flash him a look, it was a 'help me out' look, he decided to pick up the explanation "as soon as they left we started digging straight away, as it really didn't seem right to us on numerous fronts. We quickly ascertained that they weren't INTERPOL agents &amp; started the hunt to find them as well as her"

"Withers is someone who covers his tracks extremely well, it's one of the things he sells, doing a job &amp; walking away cleanly" Delilah commented, she was glad they were getting into it now, this was why she was here "I don't imagine you'll find him anytime soon, but I've got some algorithms we can harness to try to work out the path he was on, it could help track him down."

Tony &amp; Tim both shared looks of surprise.

"We know where he is" Gibbs stated.

Delilah's eyes widened "you found him? Where? How? We need to speak to him!" he could bring down the whole exchange!

Hollis was in agreement "I want access to him immediately!"

"Sure" Gibbs nodded "I'll call Palmer &amp; tell him to expect a visit" he always did enjoy it when he could give the answer if only a little cryptically.

"Palmer? Jimmy Palmer, Ducky's assistant?" Hollis asked "what's he doing here? Wait! Withers is dead? How?"

"Generally when Palmer is involved, the person's dead" Gibbs remarked.

"Palmer's now a full ME &amp; is a part of the NATO Medical Examiner's unit based here in Naples" Tim added to answer the other question "Palmer's autopsy was how we got his name, it was the tattoo he found on his….."

"His right ankle" Delilah finished, interrupting Tim "that's the only distinguishing feature the man has, how'd he die?"

"Long range sniper shot" Tim answered "he and Guthrie were both taken out in Parco De Floridana"

"Any information you've got on him, I want!" Gibbs asserted.

"We barely have anything…" Delilah started

"Barely means you've got something, you must have his conversations from the exchange, the user profiles of those he conversed with, IP addresses from the sites he logged in from. I want it all, because we need to find out who hired him!" Gibbs interrupted her briskly.

"We can give you our file on him" Hollis answered, she was quite surprised at his remarks regarding the exchange, since when did he know &amp; use those terms like IP addresses &amp; user profiles? "If I can ask, what your sister's name is Tony?"

"Patricia Kaplan, Commander Patricia Kaplan" Tony answered, with some pride at being able to answer it.

"Do you know if she did go missing from the base in Norfolk?" Hollis queried, wondering if the details Withers gave was even close to accurate, he wasn't known for it.

"No she didn't go missing from there but she was at the base, it was for a US only taskforce, they then moved to Abu Dhabi. She requested emergency leave whilst there &amp; since then has gone off the grid" Tim answered.

"She was at the base in Norfolk?" Delilah asked

"I believe Agent McGee already answered that" Gibbs remarked.

Tim knew Gibbs was still on edge with this lady, but he saw a flashed look between her &amp; Mann, he wondered what that was in aid of.

"Sorry, but I just wanted to double check. All the analysis that we've done, all the investigations &amp; leads we've had with him &amp; the few associates we've uncovered show no signs that the man gives out any details that are anywhere close to accurate." Delilah replied, she wasn't quite sure what she'd done to earn such a response from someone she'd never met.

Hollis could see that Jethro was clearly still very tense towards Delilah &amp; wondered what the cause was, but her partner made a good point "the man boasted on the exchange about his ability to not give any information out during his missions, why would he give you a specific location on where he'd been? Where she'd been? If he was after her, he wouldn't want to give you any breadcrumbs at her whereabouts, it really doesn't fit his profile"

Donnelly noted that all three men, Gibbs, Tim &amp; Tony smirked as a reaction to question, she guessed the reason but was curious about something "His profile ever show that he impersonated a federal or INTERPOL agent before? In a US federal building, whilst liaising with US Federal authorities?" she asked, no matter who it was, she had to admit, that took guts! But if he had, it would mean he was big fish for sure! So whomever he was dealing with, was bad news, very bad news!

"I will admit no" Delilah answered "but given he did, I would have thought, he would have been at greater pains to not reveal the details even more"

"Did he offer the information Tony?" Hollis asked

Tony saw Gibbs give him a small nod "Nope, he didn't. My lawyer got it out of him, that along with the fact that it was a search on her laptop that lead them to me"

"Your lawyer?" Hollis asked again.

"Yes my lawyer" Tony answered.

Gibbs was loving the confusion all over her face "something wrong?"

"Ah well, you don't do lawyers Jethro, but apart from that, I personally spoke with one of his previous customers, who's now in prison. The man was a highly rated lawyer himself, but he couldn't give me any details on anything from the man, so yes I am little surprised" Hollis stated

Gibbs couldn't help but give a sly grin "yea well, you've obviously never dealt with our lawyer before"

Hollis saw the glee on not just his face, but Tony's &amp; Tim's too "let me first get used the idea you actually like a lawyer, because I thought you had a rule against them?"

"Things change" Gibbs offered "now, anything else you want to know or can we get that file &amp; try to track the guy's associates?"

Hollis was still confused "right at this minute I can't really think of anything, except that we'd been trying to get access to his email accounts but were having issues getting a warrant. Couldn't even find a lawyer to go to with the necessary clearance that would go to a judge for us, they call claimed the evidence was too circumstantial. Perhaps whoever this brilliant lawyer is can help us? If they have confidential clearance levels"

"Our lawyer does have clearance &amp; will get it" Gibbs nodded, he looked to Tim "go speak with our lawyer &amp; arrange it, use Judge Everett, make it quick, and McGee" he waited for his agent to look at him

Tim looked at his boss, he was loving this topic, Mann truly looked taken for six with mention of the lawyer, wait til she found out who it was! "Boss?"

"Tell Captain Bond his detail is over for now, you're taking over til we get the warrant" Gibbs smirked.

Tim's eyes suddenly widened at the realisation that he will now have to go see Kelly! He swallowed "yes boss"

Gibbs saw his hesitation "now McGee" he asserted.

"Right boss" Tim nodded &amp; headed out.

Hollis saw him head out, she wondered what his apprehension was due to, but got back on topic "have you considered if this could be related to whatever taskforce she's on? What taskforce is she actually on?"

"She's on a multi-branch taskforce assessing US bases strategic needs in the current changing climate &amp; which bases requires upgrading sooner than others" Donnelly answered "and we seriously doubt her disappearance is related to it" she'd answered, because she'd seen Gibbs give her a nod.

"I've known there to be tension amongst staff between branches, all wanting their own bases to come up trumps" Hollis commented.

"I personally spoke with the Colonel in charge, as well as numerous other members of the taskforce, they all loved her, there was nothing untoward happening between them" Donnelly replied.

"Your man's dead, what are you wanting to achieve now?" Gibbs asked, wanting to move the discussion on.

"Well, we want to find out who killed him, it may have been through an employer he got through the exchange, and that could help us bring it down. We also have information that may help you figure out who hired him that could lead to finding Tony's sister" Hollis answered "if you bring us up to speed on that, we can help"

Gibbs knew she was right "Fine, Donnelly, get the file &amp; get your team working on it, take her with you" he motioned towards Delilah "the file will probably require McGee, so tell him to get back from Judge Everett asap!"

"Yes boss" Donnelly nodded "Ms Fielding, this way" she motioned her to follow.

Tony flashed a look between Gibbs &amp; Mann, he wondered what Gibbs had in mind now, he wondered how she would take everything that had happened, he wondered what Gibbs would tell her. The pair of them were staring at each other, he was really wondering what he was still doing in this room.

* * *

**A/N: Hmm.. so at least now we know what Hollis &amp; Delilah want, and I think Hollis is still trying to work out exactly what's going on with Gibbs.. and speaking of Gibbs, he's still pretty tense with Delilah, is it warranted though? How will Hollis go hearing the detials &amp; just how will she go if a certain redhead shows up? Can Kelly get that warrant? How will the NCIS gang go working with the DOD ladies? **

**I'm not sure when I'll be getting the next chapter up, as I've got exams coming up, but I'll try to not make it too long a way. Like always, I love hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away! **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I'm baaccck! Sorry for the absence folks! But university is now over for the year.. YAY! So I'll hopefully be able to get back to writing this more regularly! Because I missed it soo sooo much! Thanks for sticking with me everyone! To my recent new followers/favourites, welcome! Very happy to have you with us! My reviewers, you rock! 250 reviews already, wow! I love knowing so many of you are loving this!**

**Now, let's not delay any further, let's check in Gibbs &amp; co...**

* * *

Donnelly took Delilah out to the bullpen area, when Brunswick caught her attention "you can use this desk" she motioned to her "I need both hard &amp; soft copies of your file"

"Of course" Delilah replied as she watched the woman head off towards some other agents.

"Donnelly, you'll want in on this" Kruse called, seeing her reappear. He wanted to know how they'd gone with the DOD, but they also had to get this current dilemma sorted.

Donnelly's ears peaked "what's going on?" why were all the SSA's in a huddle? Was something wrong?

"Boss has given us the OK for one of us" Brunswick explained, motioning to all the SSA's in the current huddle "to go to the game, he's already ok'ed, McGee &amp; 2 others, Jonas drew the lucky straw for SFA's &amp; Dyson drew the straw for the Juniors"

Donnelly breathed a sigh of relief &amp; nodded, it wasn't a serious problem so to speak, she felt torn about this situation, wanting both to go to the game &amp; to be at NCIS working on finding Kaplan "I'm presuming Tony's taken himself out of it?"

"Yea, he took himself &amp; the rest of his team out of the runnings" Wu confirmed.

"Let's do this" Donnelly remarked, and drew the first straw. She watched as Wu followed by Kruse, then Brunswick all drew, before Kruse drew for Vella, given he was absent. They compared their straws &amp; she smiled "I'll be sure to tell you all how he goes" she was glad to have won the right to go, she'd never have requested it, but if Gibbs ok'd one of them &amp; it happened to be her? She was glad &amp; knew her husband &amp; sons would be likewise.

"Take some video at least" Brunswick requested, she was a little annoyed at not getting to go, she loved her football!

"Of course Jess" Donnelly replied, she felt a little sorry for her friend knowing her love of football, but she was not sorry enough to offer the spot up! She wanted to go &amp; see Phoenix play.

"Where are we at?" Kruse asked, motioning to that Fielding lady who was sitting at the desk, though he could tell she was taking in her surroundings.

Donnelly led Kruse &amp; the others back to Delilah "Ms Fielding here is getting us their complete file on Withers and his associates" she remarked.

Delilah felt all the eyes fall to her, she was already sick of the death stares "Is there some problem you all have with me?"

"We don't know you" Kruse remarked, he saw McGee, Captain Bond &amp; Kelly all descending the stairs "and I don't trust people we don't know"

"None of us do!" Wu added.

"Just because you may not trust me, doesn't mean you have to be rude" Delilah retorted gently.

All the SSA's just eyed her until they heard an all too familiar voice.

"Brunswick! Your warrant's just coming through, Alice has it" Tristan called from the stairs.

"Thank you ma'am" Brunswick replied, yes! Maybe she could get her case finished now &amp; help Tony! She headed straight for the stairs "grab your gear team! We leave in 3!" she called to her people.

Tristan nodded at her agent in passing, she spotted all the SSA's and the extra person, she'd had to deal with a few urgent interagency matters that had just arisen today &amp; as such had to miss the Senior Management meeting &amp; had been in MTAC for a while now, she'd just seen an email from Gibbs about the presence of the DOD &amp; a few other matters, time to see what these people wanted, she approached the group "And who do we have here?"

"Deputy Assistant Director Tristan this is DOD Analyst Delilah Fielding" Donnelly remarked "The Boss is in the conference room with DOD Agent Mann &amp; DiN…" she was going to say Tony, but he'd just come into the area.

Tristan saw Tony &amp; knew Donnelly was going to say his name "DiNozzo, where's Gibbs?"

"Ahh" Tony hesitated "He's in the conference room with Agent Mann ma'am. They need to discuss a few personal matters" while he was so glad to be out of there! Because the staring was getting to him, he wasn't sure how to tell Tristan about 'who' she was.

"I see" Tristan raised an eyebrow in response, wondering what that meant "well catch me up."

* * *

Hollis wondered just how long she'd have to wait for him to start speaking, he'd motioned Tony out a few minutes ago already, she gave up on waiting "are you actually going to speak?"

"Thought you retired" Gibbs remarked

"That's where you want to start? I walk in &amp; everything's changed &amp; we start with me?" Hollis asked surprised.

"Good as place as any" Gibbs remarked "wouldn't have expected to see you walk in, so I guess your situation has changed as well"

Hollis realised he had a small point "Retirement was a little boring after a while, so I moved back to DC when I got the offer from the DOD"

Gibbs had to admit, he'd considered when he would retire himself occasionally, but one thing he knew was his retirement wouldn't be boring! All day, every day with his beautiful wife, that just sounded like heaven!

"So?" Hollis prodded.

Gibbs took a deep breath "I have my family back, they were stolen from me by a man named MacDonald Fielding, him &amp; his associates have been dealt with"

"What do you mean stole? And who was he?" Hollis asked concerned, this was obviously though why he had an issue with Delilah.

"He was the man that took them from me, but as I said, he was dealt with fittingly, as were his associates. We're still still on the hunt for any remaining loose ends &amp; those people will be dealt with accordingly as well" Gibbs answered, wanting to explain up front that anyone, including that Delilah lady, would be dealt with harshly, if found to have connection with the man &amp; aided him. His gut hadn't settled on her yet.

"How did he steal them Jethro? How'd you work it out? When did you figure it out? Why did he do it?" Hollis prodded, this wasn't sounding pleasant at all!

"Not even a year ago, but it's not really any of your business anymore Hollis, my family's troubles are private" Gibbs remarked, he wasn't going to go into details with her. He knew that the story had spread through NCIS, as well the FBI &amp; even parts of the marine core and naval operations by sheer wildfire, but as a family, they'd made an agreement to not tell people full details anymore, it wasn't anyone's business.

"That's all you're going to tell me?" Hollis asked taken aback "what about where your son came from? Or why you're here in Naples?" while he'd told her something, he hadn't really said anything.

"He was a spring surprise" Gibbs smirked "and we're here so he can follow his dream"

"Follow his dream?" Hollis asked

"Yes, his dream to be a professional football player, he's on the books of SSC Napoli" Gibbs remarked proudly.

"He wants to be a football player and you've headed to Italy for it? That seems a little odd" Hollis remarked, that didn't sound right, football wasn't really an Italian thing..

"He doesn't want to be one, he is one now, he's a football player &amp; why wouldn't we come here for it? Italy is one of the best countries for football in the world" Gibbs asked, he was confused himself.

"Italy is good at football? Didn't think they even played it" Hollis remarked, she was really confused now!

It suddenly dawned on Gibbs what she was talking about "I mean European Football, or soccer. Not Gridiron, American Football" he clarified. They'd changed the way they'd referenced both sports because they'd had the same confused conversations themselves, but they'd made the change enough months ago, that he'd gotten used to the change, to him football was now what his son played &amp; that was that.

"Ohh, soccer, right, yes that makes much more sense" Hollis nodded, finally understanding.

"Don't let the locals hear you call it that" Gibbs remarked, he knew the locals hated when they heard that term &amp; it only served to make it apparent that the person was from either North America, or Australasia, to the rest of world it was the **_only_** football code that mattered &amp; using the term soccer was blasphemy.

"I'll remember that" Hollis remarked "So you all came here so Phoenix could be a football player? Even Tony and all the others?" she asked, that seemed a little much, for them all the come for that.

"Yes, we all moved, look I'm not going to sit in here &amp; give you a run down of what's happened over the last year. Suffice to say, things happened that brought us all much closer together. And the chance &amp; opportunity arose that enabled us to come, so we did" Gibbs remarked "if you're done asking questions, I'd like to get back out there, I have things to do"

Hollis could see she wasn't going to get anything further from him right now, so she resigned herself to trying to get more information as they dealt with the situation "of course, but I have to ask, you'd never considered a promotion before, why'd you take this step up?"

"There were a lot of things I never saw myself doing" Gibbs replied as he headed for the door, but he stopped &amp; looked back at her "things have changed, I've changed, fair warning I'm not the person you knew" he thought it was only fair to warn her.

"That one I've figured out already" Hollis retorted, that was plain as day to her! She followed him back out to the main bullpen area, to her it looked like organised chaos. There were people moving around, she'd rarely seen so much activity in an office.

Kruse saw Gibbs emerge &amp; headed straight for him with an update as he was the most senior agent on the floor right now "Boss, Tristan is in MTAC with DiNozzo, they're on with the Director, and she's asked that you head up as soon as you can. Donnelly &amp; Wu are working on the data &amp; information we've gotten from the DOD, Brunswick's headed out with her warrant, Vella's still on the Seahawk, Duncan also called, they're pursuing some leads that could lead them into Zimbabwe…"

Gibbs had been listening to the update but that one caught him "Duncan's going where?" he interrupted.

Kruse took a breath "he called in 10 minutes ago, said they'd found evidence of the murders being tied to some corrupt military groups, with an apparent base in Zimbabwe"

That didn't sit well with Gibbs "what backup is he going with?"

"He was trying to arrange a marine unit to go with, maybe South African SAS boss" Kruse replied.

Gibbs cast his mind to what assets they had in the area, he saw Alice not too far away "Alice!" he called, once she was looking at him he continued "get me Colonel Reeves, currently on-board USS Blue Ridge, I need one of his Seal teams"

"Of course Boss" Alice nodded "Dinner order again too?"

"Yes, no pizzas or baguettes though, pick something else" Gibbs agreed, dinner would definitely be required, but they'd been having Italian too much lately, they needed something else. He looked back to Kruse "is Vella progressing? Did you see to what I asked Brunswick to take care of? Anything from the NATO labs? McGee with my lawyer at JAG?"

"Nothing from the labs yet, McGee &amp; the lawyer are at JAG right now, Vella has gone through the Petty Officers quarters &amp; has just started the interrogation. With regards to what you asked Brunswick to organise, Donnelly, Jonas &amp; Dyson are the straw poll winners. All three have said they will come into the office &amp; then head to the stadium from here, unless you disagree boss" Kruse reported.

Gibbs nodded, he saw Jonas "Jonas! Collect the trio of ticket packs from my daughter &amp; organise to book out a vehicle for you three to go in, straight there &amp; back for the game" he instructed.

"Yes boss!" Jonas replied before getting back to what he was doing, but he had a request, it might be pushing it but he had to try "Chinese boss?"

Gibbs had to give his agent a wry smile, this kid's obsession with Asian was crazy "yea ok, get Alice to organise it, but you eat last Jonas!" he finished with a smirk to his man.

Hollis couldn't help but watch these exchanges with interest, the information just kept moving, and Jethro was more than taking charge of the entire situation, he was definitely dealing with more than one situation. She saw that Jonas man widen his eyes at Jethro's last remark &amp; just sighed as headed towards that Alice lady, ok she'd need to majority readjust her views on Jethro now.

Gibbs turned back to Kruse "anything on Kaplan? Or Jake?"

Kruse sighed "nothing boss, the hospital is still stonewalling us &amp; we haven't been able to locate where Kaplan went when she landed back in New Orleans. Tristan &amp; DiNozzo are speaking with the Director about it"

Hollis's ears peaked, they were still unable to find Kaplan, that wasn't good news, but who was Jake? And why did they need information from a hospital?

Gibbs considered what next when his phone rang, he looked at the caller ID – Dispatch – he gave an internal groan, what now? "What have we got?" he answered.

Gibbs listened &amp; cursed "Give it to Donnelly" he instructed &amp; hung up, he scanned the area &amp; spotted Donnelly coming back into the area "Donnelly!"

"Yes Boss?" Donnelly answered coming straight for him.

"Case, missing marine dependant, pass everything you're working on over to Wu &amp; get moving, dispatch will be calling you any minute" Gibbs instructed, his blood boiled when it came to missing kids.

"Yes boss" Donnelly nodded just as her phone rang.

"Boss, I've got Colonel Reeves for you" Alice called.

Gibbs nodded but turned to the two people with him "Agent Mann, this is SSA Kevin Kruse, Kruse this is Agent Hollis Mann, see where Wu is up to, let's make the intel work for us"

"Will do Boss" Kruse nodded.

Gibbs headed up to his office &amp; as he did he saw Donnelly &amp; her team heading off "Find that kid Donnelly! Fast!"

"We will boss!" Donnelly replied back, she knew he'd said it for two reasons, one so her team could get back to helping Tony's case &amp; the other, the one thing that Gibbs, along with all of them, hated the most was missing kids, it was something that affected them all, but especially him greatly.

Hollis watched him go, he was now in a discussion with that Alice lady, he wasn't kidding, he was certainly dealing with a lot, and he looked to be doing it so easily, everything just seemed to flow &amp; everyone just seemed to roll with him, she was in awe! She still couldn't get over how good he looked, it was like he had de-aged by about 10 years, he looked more fit than she'd ever known him to be &amp; his vibe was just so…. Well if she had to qualify it, he looked happy, he was clearly the happiest he'd ever been. She was still shocked at what she'd learnt, even though it wasn't a lot, hmm..

* * *

**A/N: So hope you enjoyed that.. Hollis seems to still be struggling to deal with our new Gibbs &amp; his new postion. But I think he was right in not telling her the details, its a family thing.. the whole soccer V football term was something I actually experienced in Europe, so thought it would be fun to throw in. **

**Question is, how will she react when she finds out just who the lawyer is? That's up next... and just maybe they'll be a little Telly action too..**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts/comments, so review away! Reading your comments just makes me smile &amp; spurs me on to keep writing! More up soon!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Hi folks, I know, longer wait than you were wanting, all I can say is life is hectic! So thank you for bareing with me! To my latest followers/favourites, welcome, so glad to have you on these continuing adventures! My reviewers, you all just rock! I love hearing your thoughts/comments, they bring such a smile to my face &amp; definitely keep me inspried!**

**For my guest reviewers:**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks, so glad you liked it!**

**Momcat: thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed it, but I will say, unfortunately I will not be changing the way I reference Tim/Kelly, I quite like Telly, and there's a reason for it.. but that will be explained later on..**

**Let's get right into it...**

* * *

"Thank you petty officer" Kelly nodded as she took the paperwork, she looked through it, brilliant! Wu had sent her some awesome stuff from the DOD. She sat back down in a chair in Judge Everett's office, they were waiting for him to get out of court. She'd agreed with her dad about going to him, knowing he'd be the best bet to get the warrant signed.

Tim watched as she flipped through it all &amp; organised it all, he wondered how much longer they'd have to wait for the judge, they'd been waiting a while already "Got enough?"

Kelly lifted her head "you offend me!" she smirked "I could get it even without this stuff."

Tim felt a challenge coming on &amp; wanting to move her thoughts on from Mann &amp; everything, decided to stroke the fire "yea?"

"You're on!" Kelly grinned, she sat back &amp; rested "Did Mann really think we wouldn't be able to get the warrant?" she couldn't believe it, this would be one of the easiest ones "and what exactly is she like?"

On hearing Mann's name he zoned out, he was really curious about how Gibbs' conversation with Mann had gone. Tony had messaged him earlier to say he'd been let out &amp; that the pair had just been staring at each other.

"Tim, hello!" Kelly called again.

Tim shook his head "Sorry Kell, what'd you say?"

"I asked what that Mann lady was like?" Kelly repeated, wondering where his mind had gone, she'd let her other question go.

Tim swallowed "why do you want to know Kells? It's not like your dad will allow her to be around anymore than required" he didn't think he should be entering this conversation with her.

"I'm curious Tim, I know she was a Colonel in Army CID, so she's gotta have smarts, probably a good investigator &amp; interrogator, but aside from that what is she like?" Kelly asked, she knew the basics, but wanted more "I know she worked cases with you" she added

Tim knew she wouldn't leave it alone "well, it was mainly just on the job stuff I dealt with her on, but she was always neat, not really that tech savvy &amp; oh, she knows about your dad's rule 13" he thought it might be kind of fun if Kelly knew Hollis knew about that rule.

"That so?" Kelly asked "Now, when you say not tech savvy, was she like dad used to be? Better? Worse?" she was trying to get a gage.

"Ahh, I remember once Abs said she thought she was on par, or maybe slightly better" Tim replied, he could see her mind spinning already.

Kelly smirked, but she saw the Judge come into the room &amp; rose instantly, she saw Tim do likewise "Judge Everett"

"Judge" Tim nodded also rising to his feet.

Everett nodded "Ms Gibbs, Agent McGee, my clerk says you need a warrant signed?" he asked taking a seat &amp; motioning them to do likewise.

"Yes your honour, we need access to the personal email accounts, premises &amp; alike belonging to Andre Withers" Tim confirmed.

"We'd also like to get a warrant for Rudolf Guthrie &amp; his properties" Kelly added

Tim should have been surprised, but he wasn't, she was one of the most thorough people he knew.

"And what's so special about them?" Everett asked

Kelly knew that all it would take would be a few sentences "your honour Andre Withers &amp; Rudolf Guthrie impersonated two INTERPOL Agents, used the fake credentials to gain access to the marine base, this base, a crime scene, and the NCIS building where they interrogated NCIS Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo, in my presence. Andrew's Withers is also a person of interest for his participation on a dark web exchange that the DOD are trying to bring down. It's believed he's had dealings with gun-running, drug trafficking and the slave trade, as well being an overall mercenary for hire" she finished as she passed him paperwork details on the fake credentials &amp; ID's, but not the paperwork Wu had sent.

Everett's eyes widened as he looked through the paperwork "this looks in order, but I see nothing about the exchange?"

"Your honour, I have all the paperwork right here" she lifted the bundle &amp; continued "but given what we've said &amp; what you've got in front of you, surely that's enough. I would hate for you to have to read all of this now, I'm sure you're more than ready to call it a day" Kelly finished with a small smile.

Everett gave her sly smile "I'm touched about your concern for my time Ms Gibbs"

Tim flashed a look between the pair, he was unsure which way it would go.

"So why don't we trade, you give me that pile for light reading &amp; I will give you the warrants" Everett finished, she was right, the paperwork she'd already provided was enough, the INTERPOL impersonation was more than enough for the warrant alone, but he wanted to read the other details "I will call you when you can collect it again."

"Of course your honour" Kelly replied &amp; passed him the paperwork, she then handed him the 2 warrants "the warrants for your signature your honour"

Everett signed them "thank you &amp; there you go" he passed them back "now, if you'll excuse me, I have some reading to attend to"

"Of course, that you for your time your honour" Kelly smiled as she headed out of the office.

Tim pushed open the door out of JAG, he was glad it was done, but it took a while, he saw the triumphant grin on Kelly's face "Nice work"

Kelly raised her eyebrow "that was the easiest warrant I've secured in ages, no idea why Mann thought it would be so troublesome to get"

Tim had to admit she had a point, why wouldn't the judge sign off on it given they'd faked INTERPOL cred's to get to them "can't say, but she's probably not thinking too clearly, she was pretty shocked"

Kelly just smirked as they entered the NCIS building, she considered how best to handle this!

"Kelly!" Lt Andrews called

"Hey Lieutenant" Kelly greeted.

"Hi, Hey Agent McGee" Lt Andrews replied.

"Lieutenant" Tim greeted

"Your brother mentioned he'd be able to grab me a pair of tickets for tomorrow's game, said you'd have them" Andrews said.

Kelly nodded "Sure, they're up in my dad's office, come up when you get a spare minute &amp; you can grab them"

"Thanks, should be able to get away in a few" Andrews smiled

"See you then" Kelly nodded, as she headed for the lift with Tim.

Tim smiled as he entered the lift, he was glad that Kelly seemed to be in a much better mood! But he saw her suddenly stop the lift mid-climb, this was one trait she'd taken onboard from her dad with open arms.

Kelly turned &amp; smiled at Tim, she'd already dropped her bag &amp; wrapped her arms around his neck giving him a quick kiss.

Tim returned the kiss but was curious "what was that for?"

"Cause we haven't had a spare minute &amp; I wanted to" Kelly answered, things had been so chaotic they'd barely had a spare minute to catch up, she was feeling it &amp; needed a moment with him.

Tim nodded, they certainly hadn't had any spare moments &amp; he was feeling it too, he leaned back in for another kiss, which was returned "maybe tonight we can find an hour"

The pair just smiled at each other until they heard a loud thump &amp; a yell "stop hogging the lift!"

Tim rolled his eyes as he fell out of the embrace, he saw Kelly grab her bag &amp; switch the lift back on, when they arrived at the required floor he let Kelly leave first.

Kelly smiled at Sam "Hi" who had obviously been the one to yell.

Sam smirked "sorry to interrupt you two"

Kelly smirked "you should be"

Tim just smiled as he followed "lift's yours"

"Thanks" Sam commented, before Gibbs, DiNozzo &amp; the others had been on the scene, the lift was used for lift purposes, now, that lift was being used for so much more!

Kelly saw Ziva &amp; Wu "hey, where's dad?" asked, she wanted to add 'where's Mann', but thought better off it.

"Here" Gibbs called coming down the stairs, he was about to call them, they'd been gone a while &amp; he was getting worried.

Kelly looked up &amp; saw that her dad was leading down a whole contingent, he had Tony, Mike, Tristan &amp; that Mann lady all following him down.

Wu could see some paper playing in between Kelly's figures &amp; couldn't wait for the others "is that the warrant? Did you get it?"

Kelly turned to him surprised &amp; eyed him carefully "I'm honestly offended, Tiang!"

Wu's eyes widened "hey! I was just asking" he hated his first name, and he knew she knew it.

Kelly raised her eyebrow "you accuse me of not being able to get a simple warrant &amp; I call you by your first name, **_Tiang_**"

Tony had to give a small chuckle "what took you so long anyway?" he just couldn't himself in baiting the situation, even in the present situation, he caught Tim's sly grin at his comment.

Kelly turned to him "Judge Everett was in court, we had to wait for him to get out! Which he did 20 minutes ago, so I think I was rather fast" she considered sticking her tongue out, but given Tristan &amp; that Mann lady's presence, she thought better of it.

Gibbs hid his smirk, he could see Hollis was getting confused again, not to mention taken aback.

Tristan was used to this baiting, and usually it was fun to watch, but they didn't really have time "thank you for your help in securing the warrant Kelly, it's much appreciated"

"No problem ma'am, happy to help" Kelly nodded "I also secured a warrant for everything pertaining to Rudolf Guthrie" she added

"Wu, get to work" Gibbs motioned, he was proud that his girl had thought to go that extra mile.

"Sure boss" Wu confirmed, he carefully approached Kelly "could I get those?" he asked carefully

Kelly smirked "since you asked so nicely, sure"

Hollis was stunned, the star lawyer was his daughter? &amp; while it had been a while, she couldn't believe she'd gotten it "you're the fancy lawyer? And you got the warrant already?"

Gibbs felt a spike of his protective instincts come to the fore, but he saw that his girl was going to reply, so he'd let her go first.

Kelly faced &amp; narrowed her eyes on the woman "You have a problem with me being a lawyer? And just because the lawyers you've dealt with aren't up to scratch &amp; couldn't argue their way to getting a simple warrant really isn't my problem."

Hollis couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu, that stare, those eyes, my goodness, the similarities, ouch! She just didn't know how to respond "ahh…."

Mike had been briefed on just 'who' this Hollis Mann lady was, and while he wasn't quite sure how to act towards her, he loved the way Kelly was dealing with her.

"Well?" Kelly prodded "I would have thought a former Army CID Colonel would be better equipped to answer such simple questions"

Tony's eyes widened, he saw that while Kelly had a mask of complete stone, he knew she'd be totally grinning on the inside. He could see Ziva was shocked at the current predicament, Mike looked intrigued, Tristan, well she wasn't quite sure how she was taking this, because he believed she still didn't know 'who' Mann was. He then looked at Gibbs, he'd changed his chance ever so slightly, to position himself to stand even more slightly between the pair, he couldn't really read the look on his face right now, which he was really annoyed at.

Lt Andrew's was glad to get a moment free to grab those tickets, and was heading up to see Kelly when he saw, not just her but a whole group of people, he took a stance a small distance away, not wanting to interrupt.

Hollis took a breath "I have no problems with lawyers" she finally answered

"And here I thought you were on board with the old rule 13" Kelly retorted.

Hollis flashed a look between Gibbs &amp; her, unsure what exactly to say, she was certainly talking like a lawyer.

Kelly loved that Mann was looking totally uncomfortable, but she saw Andrews "here to get those tickets Lieutenant?"

Andrews took a step closer once he'd been addressed "yes please" he nodded

"Of course" Kelly nodded, motioning him to follow but she faced Mann for one last time "and just for the record, the day I can't get a simple warrant pertaining to felons who impersonated federal agents, on a military base no less is the day I hand in my bar association membership!" she finished with a glare. She had no clue why this lady thought the warrant would be so troublesome to obtain?

Hollis really didn't know what to say, and she'd just realised that she was right about the warrant, she'd only recalled it being difficult to obtain given the dark web matter, she hadn't thought about it from the INTERPOL impersonation perspective, whoops! But she knew her mind wasn't exactly clear right now, she was stumped as to what to do, say or how to act.

McGee watched as Kelly basically stormed up the stairs, with a very confused &amp; hesitant Lt Andrews following in her wake, he saw surprise dawn on Mann's face &amp; that Gibbs was just eyeing her off, he needed to get out of there! "I'm going to go help Wu with those email accounts" he announced to no one in particular.

Tony &amp; Mike both nodded in agreement &amp; followed him, neither wanting to stay there for whatever was going to happen.

Mike heard the lift ding as he followed Tony &amp; his eyes instantly widened, shit! "**_Mrs G_**" he greeted hesitantly, but a little louder than normally required, hoping Gibbs would hear.

Shannon smiled "Michael" she greeted.

Gibbs eyes flashed to Mike's direction upon hearing his greeting, what on earth was she doing here now? But he didn't hesitate &amp; moved towards her instantly "Hi, didn't expect to see you here" he said as he approached &amp; gave her a quick kiss. He was sure they'd spoken this morning about her not coming in &amp; him ducking home for a quick moment later in the evening.

Shannon came out of the kiss &amp; smiled "Kells mentioned a few people were running low on sugar &amp; that given you were getting dinner ordered, perhaps dessert would be required as well, and I was in a baking mood" she finished lifting a bag.

"She did huh?" Gibbs smirked, hmm… he needed a conversation with his daughter! Seemed an order got disobeyed.

"Problem?" Shannon genuinely confused.

"None babe, all's good" Gibbs smiled, but he took a deep breath knowing what was coming.

"Good" Shannon smiled "speaking of… where is she?"

"My office, giving Lt Andrews some match tickets" Gibbs answered "let's go join her" he saw Jonas had taken note of the package in Shannon's hands, he looked in a separate direction "Captain" he called ushering Mike closer

"Sir?" Mike enquired.

"These items are to remain in the bag, until after dinner is consumed" Gibbs ordered passing him the bag "anddd" he added but looked at Jonas "Jonas eats last!" he smirked.

Jonas's smile dropped, damn! He'd seen the recent stash &amp; was dying for some cookies.

Mike nodded "will do sir"

Shannon smiled at Mike, but turned to husband "if you bar Jonas, you need to bar Mike, his stomach **_is_** bottomless!"

Mike smirked "just ate, so they're safe for maybe an hour"

Gibbs smirked but he could feel some eyes on him &amp; knew who they belong to.

Hollis couldn't help just stare at the woman who apparently was Shannon, she was extremely attractive, even in her casual jeans &amp; blouse. She just watched the pair interact with each other, since she'd arrived on the floor, their hands had been intertwined never releasing, and their interactions with that marine captain was also telling, seemed this man knew the family?

Shannon started towards the stairs when she saw a lady almost staring at her, she then felt her husband squeeze her hand more tightly "Hello?"

Gibbs could see the curiosity on Shannon's face at being stared at, he took a breath &amp; pulled her into his side tightly "Shannon, this is DOD Agent Hollis Mann, formally with Army CID. Hollis Mann, my wife Shannon Gibbs" he finished flashing a look between the pair.

Shannon's eyes widened instantly, and she took a stronger grip on her husband's far waist that she'd been holding onto anyway, what on earth was she doing here? "Hello, what brings you to Naples, weren't you retired &amp; living in Hawaii?" she asked, wanting the woman to know she knew exactly who she was.

Hollis swallowed, her stare was just as off-putting as Gibbs's was "Hello" she greeted before taking another breath, she was about to reply when Gibbs beat her to it.

"She's got interest in Withers from a separate case, she came hoping to speak with him, but she's staying a short while to try to lend a hand in figuring out who might have hired him &amp; see the connections, if any with Tony's sister" Gibbs explained

"I see" Shannon surmised, not really liking the fact that this woman was now hanging around because of Tony's sister's case "I'm sure you're very busy then, so we'll let you go, because finding Patricia is one of our highest priorities"

Hollis just watched as the pair walked up the stairs, she needed to clear her head! Things were just going way to fast &amp; she had to admit, she was still very curious as to what exactly went down!

* * *

**A/N: So Kelly came up trumps, and not just with getting that warrant ;p Don't think Hollis really knows who seeing dealing with, the Gibbs ladies are certainly tough nuts to deal with, and something tells me, that little run in between Shannon &amp; Hollis, wont be the last.. ;)**

**You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my recent followers &amp; favourites, welcome to this amazing ride, I'm so glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you so much, I really apprecaite &amp; love to read your comments, they keep me inspired!**

**To guest reviewers: **

**Sue Dooley: Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it! Yea, a little young for Kojak**

**Ladyaloysius: Thanks, glad you liked it! Yea, it wasn't fun for Hollis**

**Momcat: thanks, yea some Tim/Kelly action, is always nice &amp; there is always more planned for the pair, as for the Mann interactions, see my comments at the end**

**Now, let's get into it..**

* * *

Tim was knee deep in the emails, he was trying to follow a trail of exchanges between Withers &amp; someone named 'Loch Lancet' but it was in old English &amp; maybe Latin &amp; he thought it was also in some sort of code too, he just couldn't work it out, he was getting frustrated, he flashed a look to Jonas "anything Jonas?"

"Nothing, this Loch Lancet doesn't exist thus far" Jonas answered, frustrated he couldn't get any details "and these emails just don't make sense" he muttered devouring a cookie, gosh these were awesome, he had no idea what they put into them, but he doubted he'd ever tasted better!

"The emails are in a combination of Shakespeare's English &amp; Latin" Delilah noted as she came over to Tim, showing him her laptop screen "I ran a cipher over the exchanges &amp; translated them into modern English, they're about meets &amp; targets, but they all reference locations in Africa"

Jonas had shot up &amp; was also looking at the newly translated emails "huh, are there any dates?"

"That I'm a little confused about, because they reference dates either long past, or a few years ahead" Delilah answered.

Tim was studying the screen, he had to admit "This is great, let's try to use the dates from a few years back &amp; see if we can find dealings in Africa that might lead us to them, could help work out who this Loch Lancet is"

"Already started" Delilah smiled, she began typing away "the incident in Ethiopia 3 years ago, correlates approximately with an incident involving some mercenaries raiding a government armoury, they thought the men involved were from Europe"

"Let's dig into it" Tim remarked "that cipher was great" he smiled at Delilah, he had to admit over the last few hours he'd spent a large chuck of it working with her, and she was good! He was impressed with her skills.

Delilah smiled, glad to finally be moving past whatever tension had existed earlier "thanks, you've got pretty good skills too" from what she'd seen, this Tim McGee certainly knew his way around computers. She welcomed the chance to get to know him better.

"Thanks" Tim smiled, as he blushed a little.

"Bye dad" Kelly smiled at him

"See you in the morning angel" Gibbs replied, giving her a quick squeeze &amp; kiss to the head.

"Please make sure everyone gets some rest tonight Jethro" Shannon asked as she approached him.

"I will babe, got a rotation during the night already sorted out, and I'll do my best to be home before midnight" Gibbs replied, it was approaching 21:00 and he wanted them gone before he got a certain visitor.

"Good" Shannon smiled &amp; leaned in "I may just wait up" she whispered only loud enough for him to hear.

Gibbs smiled "will be home on time then" he whispered, just as softly.

Kelly led the way out of her dad's office &amp; her eyes honed in on Tim, and that Delilah chick, how close did she have to sit to him? They were basically brushing each other's shoulders as they worked away on the computers, she took a deep breath &amp; headed straight for him.

Approaching Tim from the side she wasn't at, she placed a hand on his far shoulder as she greeted him "hey"

Tim looked up and smiled "Hi"

"Just about to head off, wanted to say bye" Kelly remarked, running a hand through his hair.

"See you tomorrow at the stadium?" Tim asked, loving the feeling of her hand caressing his head.

Kelly smiled "you better believe it, don't stand us up Timothy" she remarked as she moved her hand down to his neck region, giving it a quick massage.

"Wouldn't dream of it" Tim replied, he couldn't wait for the game, and he'd never stand her up!

"Good" Kelly replied, and leaned down for quick kiss before whispering "and if you're done earlyish, call me"

Tim enjoyed the quick kiss &amp; the whispered remark, "you got it" he replied

Kelly stood back up &amp; gave a quick glare to Delilah, wanting to make sure she knew that this man was taken, by her!

Delilah had watched this exchange &amp; had seen how territorial Kelly had become as soon as she entered the area, it seemed Tim was taken. She was a bit upset at that, she could have seen herself grow to really like him, and when Kelly leaned down for the kiss, right in front of her, she was surprised, it might have been a quick kiss, but it was a very passionate one too. She was clearly emphasising her claim to the man, she slowly pushed her chair a little further away.

Shannon had watched her daughter's well, jealous reaction to how close Delilah had been to Tim, she flashed a look to her husband "I wonder who she gets that from?" with a sly grin.

"You" Gibbs answered with his own sly grin he'd seen exactly what his daughter had done, he'd also seen that Tim was none the wiser at the situation, he may need to have a word with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, and how'd you react every time we came across Chuck? I could barely breath you were holding me so tightly against your chest" Shannon retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"Guy didn't know when to quit" Gibbs retorted

"Yes well, just cause he can't quit, doesn't mean you have to act like a territorial grizzly bear!" Shannon remarked

Gibbs smirked "not a Grizzly bear, I'm more of a Lion, the King of the Herd, say a cross between Mufasa &amp; Simba"

Shannon rolled her eyes "introducing you to movies has had its drawbacks"

Gibbs laughed "now, whose fault is that?"

"Whose fault is what?" Kelly asked approaching them, she'd only left Tim be once she'd seen that Delilah had moved a little away &amp; knew not to try anything.

"Your mum isn't happy that I can now reference movies &amp; pop culture at a whim" Gibbs smirked at his dear wife.

Kelly raised her eyebrow at the pair, the way they were smirking spoke volumes "I don't even want to know!"

Gibbs smiled &amp; put an arm around her waist "what's the matter angel? Afraid you'll be left behind?"

Kelly looked up to her dad &amp; smirked "the day you leave any of us behind in referencing pop culture, is the day that… the day that I eat brussell sprouts willingly!"

Gibbs just chuckled as he steered his girls towards the lift "now be a good girl &amp; go home &amp; eat your vegetables, no dessert without them" he finished kissing her forehead, to mask his ever-present grin. Gosh he loved these riling moments with his dear family.

"Already had dessert, too late" Kelly grinned.

Gibbs just smiled as he bided the pair goodbye &amp; turned to see Hollis looking at him with a curious look "something I can do for you?" he enquired

Hollis blinked, a little unsure how to answer, she'd been watching his interactions with his wife &amp; daughter, not just now but throughout the early evening &amp; just couldn't believe this was the same man she'd had a relationship with. He was so carefree, and… fun more to the point, she'd never seen him act like this, to this extent, but it was more than that. He acted so fun &amp; carefree, yet he still commanded the utmost respect &amp; had total command authority of the entire floor. She hadn't figured out how he &amp; that Tristan lady shared the duties, because they both appeared to be 'the' boss, it was on her list of things she was curious about.

Hollis realised it was best to stay focused on business "I was able to dig further into Wither's, I think I've pinpointed where he &amp; Guthrie met, they were both in South Africa last year, as well the UK about 6 months ago"

"Where in the UK?" Gibbs asked, but he noticed that both Kruse &amp; Donnelly, who were nearby, looked up surprised at this new intel.

"Scotland &amp; Ireland" Hollis answered "I'm trying to see who they dealt with while on the…"

"Kruse! Donnelly!" Gibbs called interrupting her mid-sentence.

"Boss?" the pair asked, rising instantly.

"Who've you got spare?" Gibbs asked

"Lovett's free boss, what do we need?" Kruse asked, motioning his agent forward.

"Yates is free boss" Donnelly answered, also motioning her agent forward.

Gibbs looked at the pair "Work with the DOD on this intel, I want every person Withers &amp; Guthrie liaised with in South Africa &amp; the UK!"

"Yes boss" the agents answered.

Gibbs nodded, he saw though Hollis looking a little off put "we work as a team in this building, deal with it or leave"

Hollis couldn't believe he'd spoken to her like that, it wasn't like she wasn't a team player "I beg your pardon?" she asked, feeling quite affronted.

"There is no 'I' in this building, work with my SSA's, not on your own, things get missed like that" Gibbs answered, everything she'd said had started with I or I've and he'd learnt very quickly one thing he hated was agents not working as a team, especially on a case that had multiple teams working in tandem. He would have said something further, but his phone rang "Gibbs" he answered walking away.

Hollis was left to stare at his retreating body, she still didn't get what she'd done so wrong, she'd worked the intel &amp; was passing the information on so they could all use it?

"In case you're wondering, because I think you are" Donnelly remarked looking at her "share findings with us, before going to him, it may work in with other details our teams are working on. He's the boss, not an agent anymore, so he doesn't need every small bit of intel reported on, on its own. We get the best picture possible before we go to him"

"And for the record, I'm looking into Withers time in South Africa already from intel we got from one of his emails to Loch Lancet, so now knowing he met Guthrie there, is a major piece of intel I need to know!" Kruse added "haven't you heard all of us call things out? We share vital intel, that way, we can work it all together, before presenting to Gibbs, he's not responsible anymore for putting it together, we are!" he was pissed off she'd found out vital intel about Withers &amp; Guthrie &amp; not shared it with them.

Hollis just stared wide-eyed at the pair, they were pissed off, a small part of her realised they may have had a small point. She hadn't shared anything with any of them, because she'd wanted to share it all with Gibbs, because he was always so good at putting the pieces together, but as they just pointed out, that wasn't Gibbs job anymore. It also seemed that Gibbs was surrounding himself with people just as blunt as he was "I'm sorry, I guess I'm struggling to adapt to this situation &amp; him being in the position he's in" hoping they'd understand &amp; give her a break.

"You were army CID, you should know how to adapt to change" Donnelly replied bluntly, she was also pissed off about the lack of sharing, she looked at her agent "you know what I expect Yates"

Yates simply nodded, he knew very well what she expected of him.

"Gimme something" Tony remarked to Mike as they entered the bullpen

"I wish I could Tony, but she really keeps her private life private" Mike replied "I know she's a pretty good tennis player, we had a base tournament once &amp; she won the woman's open event"

Tony smiled, glad to learn something about his sister, but he then heard the lift ding &amp; his eyes widened at who'd stepped off it – it was Lt Gomez! What was he doing here? He flashed a look around the room &amp; saw that the floor had gone quiet.

Mike saw a marine Lieutenant step off the lift &amp; realised the entire floor had gone quiet "who's he?" he asked Tony quietly.

Tony flashed him a worried look, they were meet feet from the man and he unsure how he would react "Lt Gomez" &amp; judging by the reaction on Mike's face, he knew very well who Gomez was.

Mike's eyes widened &amp; narrowed very quickly on his fellow marine, he closed the gap between &amp; stood right in front of him "something we can do for you Lieutenant?" he asked menacingly, he saw that Tim had also approached, but he wanted to deal with this man, this marine.

Tim couldn't believe this guy had the audacity to come into this building! He'd rip him to shreds &amp; was a little upset that Mike had gotten to him first, but he could already see Mike wasn't going to give an inch &amp; as a fellow marine &amp; a superior to the guy, he'd give him first option, for now.

Gomez swallowed "I'm here to see Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, Captain" he'd never met this guy, but the way he was looking at him was concerning him.

Mike just eyed him "and is he expecting you?" if he wasn't, this guy was going to get eaten alive.

"Yes, I have orders to report to him at 21:00 sir" Gomez answered.

Mike noted that that was still 6 minutes away, he could make his own point first "I see, so tell me something Lieutenant, you are a lawyer correct?"

"Yes sir" Gomez answered, he needed to get to Gibbs, but couldn't exactly tell a superior officer to go away.

"And you're a marine officer, are you not?" Mike prodded, with the most obvious question in the world. He could feel the entire floor was staring at them, but he didn't care.

Gomez felt like retorting him with a 'you can see that can't you?' but knew better "I am sir"

Mike stepped forward &amp; put himself right in the guy's face "then how on earth can you act like a two bit pimp! A no good punk trolling women for a good time. at a g-d damn bowling alley of all place! You're a damn marine officer Gomez! " he barked, he took a breath "You are damn lucky you're not under my command marine, or you'd be wishing you were back in basic!"

Tony took a step backwards, slightly off put by Mike's sudden ferocious tone, it had shocked him. He noted though that he wasn't alone, but no one who was shocked, didn't like it, they all liked how Mike was dealing with the guy.

Mike let up on his harsh gaze on the guy "Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs is upstairs, so move your ass!"

"Yes sir" Gomez swallowed, crap that was just as bad as the Colonel!

Mike just eyed the punk as he walked towards the stairs, he stowed the smirk as he watched the guy have to navigate his way through countless bodies, all of whom were giving him a death glare &amp; not one was moving out of his way, making him having to purposely walk around them all "Hurry up Lieutenant, you've got 2 minutes!" he barked, much to his &amp; the entire floor's satisfaction.

Tony flashed a look to Mike, the guy's looked like a solid brick wall right now, until… Lt Gomez had disappeared into Gibbs outer officer, then the brick wall had a new feature, a wide berthed grin "Remind me never to piss you off."

Mike looked over to him "you should know that you don't mess with a pissed off marine"

* * *

"What's the usual attendance like?" Mike asked

"They normally get a decent turnout, around 7-10 thousand" Kelly answered, they'd just arrived at the stadium, her parents &amp; grandfather were in front of them.

Mike whistled, he was impressed "that's pretty good, and the reserves play in the main stadium for all their home games?"

"No, if the first team are scheduled to play on it within 72 hours, then they play at one of the other stadiums in the city, but the first team are away to Roma this week" Kelly answered.

That made sense to Mike as they took their seats, his eyes scanning the crowd around him, they were due to come out of the tunnel in about 15 minutes &amp; there was already a few thousand in the stands, but he did a double take of someone in particular, and focused more readily on the guy, no way! He got a wicked idea, and saw that Mrs G was speaking with Jackson &amp; a couple of other people, along with Kelly "Excuse me sir" he said to Gibbs &amp; continued once he'd gotten his attention "there's someone I think you need to meet"

Gibbs raised the eyebrow "and who would that be?"

"Let's just say, I'd hate to ruin the surprise, but I assure you sir, you want to meet this man" Mike smirked, this was going to be good!

Gibbs wasn't sure what he meant, but the look on Mike's face said it all "we'll be right back" he quickly said to his wife before following Mike away.

Gibbs followed Mike 3 bays over &amp; about half a dozen rows up from where they were situated, he came to a man that was wearing a blue spray jacket &amp; sun-glasses, he wondered who he was?

Mike looked down to guy &amp; smirked "Excuse me"

The guy looked up "Sorry, need to get past?"

"No, wanted to say hello &amp; see what you're doing here?" Mike asked back

Gibbs saw the man look at Mike for a moment before swallowing, this guy clearly knew Mike!

"Lt Bond" he greeted tensely.

"Coach Miller" Mike greeted curtly "and its Captain Bond now" he added

Gibbs eyes widened &amp; then narrowed, this was Coach Miller? What was he doing here? Mike was right, he did want to meet this man!

* * *

**A/N: Well, first things first, what on earth is Coach Miller (Nix's former u12's coach) doing there? Hmm... **

**Delilah seems to have unearthed something, but it does seem rather odd about the timings of the events in Africa, or is there something more to the code &amp; emails than they've uncovered so far? And she learnt that Tim is most definitely taken! Kelly doesn't take after her parents in the jealous ranks at all! haha**

**Now, I know some of you may not like the current way I've got Gibbs dealing with Hollis, but he's got a lot on his plate &amp; given she's the first person from the 'outside' that has shown up in a work capacity with him in his new position, not to mention that it was her &amp; they had a history, so he may be overcompensating just a little &amp; everyone takes their cue with dealing with her from him, so they are also uptight. However, i think ****Kruse &amp; Donnelly are a little peeved with Hollis. I want to assure you though, I have plans that will see things work out for Hollis, you just have to give it time.**

**Not sure if I will get another chapter up before the holidays, so I'd like wish everyone a happy &amp; safe holiday period! You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon.**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Happy New Year Folks! I hope you've all had a great holiday period &amp; will enjoy your new year weekend! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you so much! Reading your thoughts keep me inspired, so keep them coming!**

**To my guest Reviewers:**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks very much, glad you like it!**

**None: Tim was blind to the flirting, and the chat between him &amp; Gibbs, that would be interesting wouldn't it? But I think Kelly realised the flirting could happen even before the boys crossed paths, so she'd had time to consider it, this one there was no forewarning, so maybe that's why Tim didn't really pick up on it. **

**Momcat: glad I could give you a present of the chapter**

**CookieSprinkles: Hollis isn't that bad, she's just really stunned at all the new revelations.. she'll come good**

**Now, this is one meaty chapter, it's game time, but there will be a lot going on around the game itself, as we set up for some important stuff ahead.. kick off!**

* * *

"So, what brings you all the way to Naples?" Mike prodded, he'd seen Gibbs reaction &amp; knew the dots got connected.

"I'm here catching a few games, and yourself?" Miller replied a little wearily, the man that had yet to introduce himself was just staring at him.

"Oh you know, just watching a kid play for Napoli SC, a kid who'd amount to nothing, and not be able to score a goal even if he had 2 right feet" Mike answered curtly.

"I never said he'd amount to nothing, I said he needed to practice more, and I was right. He obviously started practicing more &amp; now he's reaping the benefits" Miller retorted.

Mike raised the eyebrow "No, I'm pretty sure you said 'you're never going to go anywhere as you've got a left foot that can't shoot &amp; your right is too piss weak to compensate' or have I recalled that training session incorrectly?"

Gibbs just eyed the man, the fact that he'd said this to his son was one thing, the fact that he'd said it to his then 12 year old son at the time, was unacceptable. He wanted a minute with him &amp; wondered just what Mike was waiting for to do the introduction?

"If I spurred him on to try harder, I would say right now it is worth it, but if you gentlemen don't mind, I have a few phone calls I'd like to make before the game begins" Miller remarked

"Oh, where are my manners, I should introduce you" Mike smirked "Miller, this gentleman here is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Phoenix's father" he finished with a sly grin.

Miller's eyes widened "Phoenix's father? He… …..died" he was sure that Phoenix's father had died.

"I recovered" Gibbs replied "so why don't we go back to Captain Bond's original question, why are you here, watching **_my_** son? A kid, who along with others in his team you thought nothing of"

Kelly looked to where to her dad &amp; Mike had ventured &amp; her eyes widened in shock "No way!" she looked at her mum "mum! It's Coach Miller! Anaaanndd Mike's introducing him to dad!" this could end badly, very badly!

Shannon's head snapped to where her husband had gone instantly, what on earth? What was he doing here? And what exactly were they speaking about? She about to head straight for them when they started to head back, but neither man looked right, something was off. She exchanged a worried look with her daughter &amp; Jack "Jethro darling? What's the matter?" she asked concerned as he returned.

"Mikey?" Kelly asked concerned.

Gibbs &amp; Mike shared a look, neither could believe what Miller had said.

Shannon was getting really concerned, she watched as both of them sat down "Jethro, what's the matter? You're worrying me, you both are!" she finished looking between the pair.

"Sit, all of you, trust me, you want to sit down for this" Gibbs said quietly

"He's right, you need to sit" Mike added

Shannon instantly sat down next to her husband, while Kelly leaned against the seats of the row in front, so that she was perched right in front of Mike.

"Miller's got a new job" Gibbs stated

"Which is?" Shannon prodded, this was not the kind of reaction she'd expected of him to Coach Miller.

"He….." Mike started but took a deep breath before he could say the next part "He works for U.S. Soccer"

Jack's eye's widened in surprise.

"He works for U.S. Soccer? Miller does?" Kelly asked, a man like him got that kind of position? She knew what U.S. Soccer was of course, it was the national body that governed soccer for the entire country!

"What does he do there?" Shannon prodded, she had to admit surprise at the news too.

Gibbs took a deep breath before answering "he's a scout for the youth teams"

Shannon wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she saw her daughter's eyes widen in utter shock.

Kelly was stunned "Holy crap!" she exclaimed.

"Yea, that's pretty much it" Mike said, she'd put the dots together &amp; pretty much nailed how he was feeling.

"Can someone explain to me what that means?" Shannon asked, though she knew Jack was just was in the dark as she was.

Kelly heard the cheers of the crowd &amp; saw the players come out to warm up, she saw her brother, they'd all risen as an automatic reaction "it means…" she started to say as she stared at her brother, really? Holy shit!?

"It's means our boy is being looked at for a possible call up to the US men's Olympic team Shan" Gibbs finished, he was gobsmacked! He just stared at his son, it a mix of shock &amp; utter pride.

Shannon's eyes widened in utter shock "I beg your pardon?"

"Phoenix is being considered for the national Olympic team?" Jack asked stunned.

Gibbs was finally able to tear himself away from staring at his son, he turned to his wife &amp; father "Miller said the federation knew of his move over here, because they receive all the paperwork for international transfers" he started to explain.

Kelly knew that, as her brother's lawyer &amp; player agent, she'd seen some of the paperwork that had gone to the federal body.

"So he was on their radar, but they'd gotten wind of his rapid improvement, and heard that he'd made an appearance for the reserves already &amp; was going to start the match today. And he said he was already in Europe to look at the various overseas players, he made a last minute change to his itinerary in order to come &amp; watch him" Gibbs finished.

Shannon just stared at her husband, she had no idea what to say, she shifted her gaze and stared at her son as he went through the warm up, she flashed a look across to Miller, who was now sitting there with a folder out &amp; making notes "he could play for his country?" she whispered into her husband.

Gibbs nodded "he's a chance for it at least"

Jack was still confused, although mighty proud "you said youth scout though?"

"The Olympic squad is an under 23 side gramps, so, oh crap, he's the perfect age for Rio 2016!" Kelly explained &amp; then realised, her brother would be the perfect age for the Olympic team for the next Olympic games, he'd be 23 right at the perfect time, what on earth? Seriously?

"The Olympic squads are seen as a kind of transition to aid the players move between the youth squads of under 17's &amp; under 20's teams to the full international sides" Mike added, he was seriously stunned.

"Hey" Tim greeted, he was glad they'd gotten their on time, he was greeted with 5 sets of eyes that all looked at him stunned "what's wrong?"

Kelly shared a look with her family &amp; Mike "Hi, ahh, nothing's wrong as such"

"So?" Tim enquired, he wasn't sure what was going on, but there was something.

Kelly sat down &amp; brought him with her, she had Mike on her other side "We just found out that, that well, Nix is a shot at playing for the U.S. Olympic team, so we're all a little stunned"

"A little?" Mike retorted, it was more than just a little.

"A lot" Kelly agreed

Tim's eyes widened in shock "what do you mean?"

Kelly explained what they'd just learnt.

Tim took it all in, as all the eyes remained on him, he couldn't believe what he was hearing "how good a chance is this?"

Kelly shared a look with Mike "he's a chance, what do you think?" out of all of them, Mike probably had the best idea, he was a keen follower of U.S. Soccer teams.

Mike could feel everyone's eyes on him "well, I'd say they're reasonable, so long as he keeps going the way he is &amp; plays regularly for the reserves. Being a player at a good overseas club, yea, they're definitely reasonable and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I should have seen this coming."

"You're serious Mikey?" Shannon asked, could this really be happening?

Mike nodded "yea I am, in his age bracket, being at such a big club, is a major boost to his chances to landing a spot in the team USA squad." He couldn't believe he hadn't seen this coming, but he then considered something "Miller better not let pre-conceptions of Nix from before get in the way now"

Gibbs's eyes widened &amp; then narrowed as they looked over to Miller "he better not!"

Shannon took a breath "I don't think he will" she'd seen that Miller had given them fleeting looks, but was trying to concentrate "let's just leave him be" she remarked, feeling her husbands desire to go over &amp; make a point to not allow Mike's verbalised fear to turn into reality, she'd go over a little later on.

As they got ready for the start of the match, Gibbs saw that Col Marks, Commander Brine, their families along with Jonas, Donnelly &amp; Dyson, all with their friends/family were all in their allotted seats around his family, he leaned into his wife "should we tell him about Miller?"

"Decide after the game?" Shannon suggested, she wasn't sure how her son would take the news, especially given who was here to watch his efforts.

Gibbs nodded in agreement, he was sitting between his wife &amp; dad, he could see how tense he was "you ok dad?"

"Just a little surreal son, and with that added news, I guess it's a little overwhelming" Jack replied, he was feeling overwhelmed right now, this was a magnificent stadium &amp; now knowing his grandson was going to possibly be able to represent his country, that was just too much.

"Just a little" Gibbs agreed "why don't you have something to drink dad?" he suggested passing him a drink they'd just bought.

Mike surveyed the opposition, it was the Roma reserves, so he knew they were a decent team, but as the players took their spots he honed in on the defenders that would be going up against Nix, they were solid, but "He's got half a foot on one of the central defenders &amp; the other two I reckon are just shy of his height, he can use that"

"Yea, but because they're lining up to play 3 at the back, that'll crowd the midfield &amp; make it difficult for him to link up with the rest of his team, even with Nix having 2 high line attaching midfield players supporting him" Kelly countered

Mike shook his head "The attacking mid's can stretch them wide &amp; that'll give Nix room, or Nix stretches them with one &amp; the other can get a clear path"

"Maybe, when we played Roma away, they won, 5-1" Kelly remarked.

"Ouch" Mike replied.

Shannon's fingers were interlocked with her husband, this game had meaning already, but now, it mattered a whole lot more "I'm nervous" she whispered.

Gibbs smiled, he put an arm around her &amp; drew her in close "me too, he'll be fine. I'm sure he's focused, he looks ready, let's just enjoy today for what it is, and tomorrow will be what it is, huh?"

Shannon nodded "you're right" she turned to her other-side where she had Mike sitting "so Mikey?"

"Never thought I'd go from side-line u12's to this" Mike replied with a smile

"You &amp; me both" Shannon smiled as she patted his leg "I'm glad you're here for it"

"Me too, me too" Mike smiled, he looked towards the pitch, here came kick-off, he saw that it was Napoli that won the toss &amp; Nix was over the ball, he smirked "you know, he does look good in sky blue" he chuckled.

Kelly smirked "don't repeat that around him" she turned towards Tim and leaned into him "this is insane, but I'm glad you made it" he'd come straight from the office &amp; she knew he was torn.

"Wouldn't have missed it Kells, not for anything, I'm always here for you" Tim replied, as he threaded his fingers through hers.

Jack was watching it start to unfold &amp; this was most definitely a step up from the last match he'd seen his grandson play, while the pace wasn't lightning speed, the players seemed so much more skilled.

Gibbs had to admit, watching this game was something else entirely &amp; not that he'd admit it, but having Mike there with his commentary, was actually pretty good. He saw things in the game, in the players, that he just couldn't see, it was giving me a new understanding of the game, much like what happened when he watched matches with his son.

"The wingbacks aren't getting forward in support enough, they need to push up" Mike said frustrated.

"They aren't pushing up because they've got to deal with the crowded Roma midfield, they can't get through" Kelly countered.

Mike shook his head "just because the opposition has a crowded midfield doesn't mean one of the wingbacks can't find a way through, the central defenders have to help them out, as does the holding midfielder &amp; the attacking mids are not acting like they actually know how to attach!"

Tim knew that while he definitely understood the game a lot more, he had nothing on Mike, and he was kind of jealous again about that, the two of them were discussing the game on a level he just couldn't do. He rose slightly as Napoli got close to the goal, damn he thought as the ball went over the bar.

"He hasn't seen the ball at all" Shannon remarked, it was the 15th minute, and her son had barely touched the ball.

"Because the midfielders aren't doing their jobs" Mike remarked "Nix will have to come &amp; get the ball, if they don't pull their fingers out of the arses!" he huffed, he saw the midfielders loose the ball yet again "for fu.." he started to say.

Kelly flashed a look to Mike, and knowing what he was going to say quickly covered his mouth, with a stern look.

Mike wasn't sure why she'd done that until..

"Lucky Mikey, very lucky" Shannon said with a raised eyebrow.

Mike flashed a look back to Kelly with a semi-questioning look, he had a hunch but wanted to check.

"You got spare cash on you for the jar?" Kelly whispered with a smirk.

Mike gave her a sly grin, he thought so, he dug his wallet out &amp; pulled out €100 &amp; held it out "I know I can't keep my mouth in check, so there you go Mrs G, and I apologise in advance"

Brine &amp; Marks were sitting right behind Mike &amp; had noticed this exchange, both raised their eyebrows at Mike's remark, not to mention the amount of money that had passed hands &amp; wondered what her reply would be.

Shannon flashed a look down to the money &amp; then back up to him "if your mouth goes the same way the last game did, this is a down payment Michael"

Mike grinned "I'm sure this one'll be nicer on the ears, that game was horrendous!" for Nix's 12th birthday, they'd gone &amp; seen the US play against Mexico when they visited Austin, and Team USA had played like complete crap!

"Here's hoping" Shannon replied "because while I enjoy your commentary, I prefer the language to be clean cut mister"

Marks shared a look with Brine, but leaned down &amp; spoke quietly, but firmly "as do I Captain, we have our families present, so keep it clean"

Kelly heard the comment of Marks &amp; watched as Mike swallowed &amp; nodded in affirmation, she pressed her lips together to prevent the smile from forming. She knew he really let loose during games, he was a passionate spectator to say the least. Now though, he'll really need to watch his tongue "chips Mikey?" she offered, figuring it was best to keep his mouth busy.

"He's got the ball" Tim noted

"That cause he got fed up of waiting for the midfielders &amp; he's come to get the ball himself. He's well into his own half, a striker should never have to come **_that_** deep to get the ball" Mike retorted, he watched though as Nix made it through 2 players &amp; was now in the opposition half, come on!

Gibbs watched as he made it past a third player but he then lashed a shot towards goal. He knew why he did it, because he had no further options, none of his teammates had managed to get up the field to help him and the shot did come close, but it was a clear shot out of frustration. He couldn't say he didn't understand the frustration he was obviously feeling, but he needed to settle down.

"He's frustrated" Shannon commented into her husband quietly, as she watched him, for what she thought was the fourth time he collect the ball himself &amp; try to make it all the way up field on his own, before lashing a shot towards goal. So far Napoli had made 6 shots on the opposition's goal, and they'd all been by her son.

Gibbs nodded "I know, because the rest of team seem to have forgotten how to play" he'd never seen the team act like this, they seriously needed to get their collective butts moving! He considered going down there &amp; giving them a right good marine blasting, but he saw that the coach was already doing that, he was glad!

Kelly couldn't say it was the best half of football she'd watched, especially one in which her brother had played, she was just amazed that Roma had only scored one so far. He'd tried to do it all himself, his teammates either couldn't get past the opposition, or they just didn't try. This wasn't the best match for a scout to be watching. She just hoped that the coach got things sorted at half time &amp; got her brother some help out there.

Shannon was returning from the bathroom when she saw Mike standing near the tunnel entry to the seating area, he'd just hung up his phone, there was something not right, she approached "Mikey, are you ok?"

Mike looked up "Fine Mrs G, was just speaking with my brother, he can be a little annoying is all"

Shannon smirked "yes well, you boys always tend to show affection through more, shall I say, manly avenues" she took a breath "but which brother are you talking about right now?" there were 4 of them.

"Marcus" Mike replied, he really didn't want to get into this discussion, especially right now "I'm going to grab another drink, can I get anything for anyone?"

"Nice try Michael" Shannon remarked "but you should know that I don't like diversions, what's going on?"

Mike sighed, he should have known "just some tension in the family is all, we're trying to work through it"

"This is why you're not going to Austin for Christmas but Florida, yes?" Shannon asked as they headed back out to the stadium seats, but she didn't go back to the group, she kept a distance so they could have some privacy.

"That &amp; Myles is now based down there, his wife is expecting their first child" Mike replied

Shannon gave a small smile "Myles settled down first?" she was surprised at that, out of all the Bond boys, she would not have thought Myles would be the first one to settle.

Mike had to chuckle "yea, we were just as surprised, but she's a really great girl"

"So what's got you boys in a knot?" Shannon pressed

Mike really didn't want to answer that question and was glad when he saw the players come back out "looks like the second half is about to start, we should go sit back down"

"Very well, but this discussion isn't over Michael Bond" Shannon remarked, looking him squarely in the eye.

"I know" Mike replied, while he was very touched that she still cared so much about him &amp; his family, this topic would not be one he wanted to share with her, at all!

Gibbs allowed the pair to pass him &amp; he retook his seat "all ok?"

Shannon smiled "yes, Mike's just having issues with his brothers &amp; he's being stubborn &amp; not telling me what's wrong"

Gibbs raised his eyebrow, he looked around his wife to Mike who was now trying his best to be engrossed in conversation with his daughter, clearly not wanting to get drawn back into whatever the conversation was about.

Brine &amp; Marks were in deep conversation when they saw Gibbs re-take his seat &amp; Brine leaned down "restaurant is booked, as is the entertainment" he said quietly into his ear.

Gibbs looked up at the pair &amp; grinned "excellent!"

"What's that gleeful look for?" Shannon asked curiously.

"Just something we were talking about at our management meeting" Gibbs replied

Shannon eyed him "that look, there is more to it"

"There's definitely more to it, Shannon" Gail remarked looking at her husband "what did you lot discuss at that meeting?" all three men had grins like cheesier cats.

Brine looked at his wife "work related matters dear, we always keep it to strictly business" he finished with a smile.

"Yes, yes you do and if I believed that then I believe that our son will one day do his chores without a single prod" Gail retorted.

"Don't smirk at that Ian" Maggie remarked eyeing her husband "you three may act all tough as nails with your underlings, but away from prying eyes, you three are…." She really didn't even have words for it

"Maggie, I believe the words you are looking for are immature, and prank obsessed" Shannon remarked, she liked these ladies, they didn't take the bull that their husbands tried to feed them either "I always thought that you &amp; Ted were the biggest contenders in the prank realm, but alas no" Ted was good in that respect, but so were Ian &amp; Harmon.

"I'm looking forward to meeting Taylor, sounds like our kinda guy" Marks smirked.

"I've already warned him about you two" Gibbs chuckled.

"Excuse me!" Kelly remarked loudly at them all "the game has restarted! And thankfully, the coach has made 2 changes &amp; it looks like Nix might actually get some help! Can we not focus! This is a fairly important half of football for Phoenix, pay attention!" she finished crossly.

Shannon &amp; Gibbs both raised their eyebrows at their daughter, but smiled as they nodded, they really should have been paying better attention.

"I'd hate to ever get cross examined by Kelly" Brine whispered to Marks.

"I'd hate to try to get her to do anything she doesn't want to do" Marks retorted.

Kelly heard the remarks &amp; smirked, but she was in the middle of a conversation with Mike "yea, so 17 is an attacking midfielder and 24 is a defensive midfielder. I've seen them train with Nix, they've got a good understanding developing"

"Good, maybe they can do something then, cause that first half was shit!" Mike remarked.

"Wont disagree" Kelly replied

Tim was watching &amp; noticed something, it was 6 minutes into the new half "he hasn't come into the Napoli half at all"

"The coach has probably told him not to, Nix dropping back as deep as he was, was leaving no one up front. The coach bringing in two new midfielder players to fix the issues from the first half will hopefully mean Nix can do his actual job up front" Mike remarked, and he saw just that, the new players had combined &amp; fed Nix the ball in a very good area, he saw Nix turn &amp; shoot "Damn!" it was a great shot, but the keeper pulled off an equally great save.

Gibbs winced, annoyed the keeper managed to get to the ball, come on son! he thought. But the save turned the ball out for a corner kick, and this was good, his son loved these.

Mike looked at how the players were lining up for the corner kick "you have got to be kidding, the defender they've assigned to mark Nix is a head shorter! That's just stupid! if he can't get over his man, I'm taking him for a work out!"

Kelly looked at what Mike was talking about &amp; he was right, the guy was definitely shorter "feel free" she offered, she knew exactly what kind of work out he had in mind.

Gibbs shared a look with his wife not quite sure what to make of Mike's comments "should we be worried?""

Shannon just smiled "no darling, Mike just knows that Nix can take his opponent, so he wants him to show his talent" she knew that Mike knew what Nix could and couldn't do, so he wanted him to prove it, probably right now in front of Miller, he wanted him to show it more than ever.

Gibbs watched as the corner kick was taken, he saw his son try to evade his opponent, he then rose to meet the ball andd "Yeeeaaaa!" he exclaimed

"Yeess! WOOOHOOOO!" Mike yelled, fisting the air.

"WOOHOOO!" Kelly yelled as she jumped up

"Yeaaa!" Tim exclaimed as he clapped in triumph!

Shannon just beamed as she watched her son celebrate his very first goal for Napoli, he'd rose higher than his opponent &amp; headed the ball straight into the top corner, leaving the keeper no chance. The joy on his face was undeniable, he was ecstatic. She leaned into her husband "he did it, his first goal, in his first game"

Gibbs took hold of her &amp; smiled "yea, he did, things are going to change" yet again he thought "look at that grin, we wont be able to wipe it off for a week" he smiled as he waved down to his grinning boy who had just waved up to them.

"Wouldn't want to wipe it away" Shannon smiled as she too waved down to her boy.

Mike noticed that everyone around them had cheered just like he had, he was ecstatic. He pulled Kelly into his side "that's showing Miller" he smirked "hope he's regretting how he treated Nix back then &amp; if he doesn't…."

"Don't even go there" Kelly remarked, making sure to keep firm hold of him, she cast her eyes though over to Miller &amp; saw he was busy writing notes, but she could see that there might be a small smile, maybe, maybe not, but she hoped so!

Mike flashed a look up to Miller "there's still time to rub salt in the wounds" he finished flashing a look to Gibbs, who was also eyeing Miller.

"He's learning a very valuable lesson today" Gibbs smirked as he watched Miller write in notepad "don't ever underestimate a Gibbs"

"Hoorah!" Mike remarked.

Tim was feeling again a little out of it, with Mike in the middle of the family &amp; a wealth of football knowledge, and now it seemed the marine camaraderie was taking shape, he wasn't really part of the discussion. He'd celebrated with Jonas &amp; those on his other side.

"You know if his head grows because of this, I think a little virus to commandeer his Facebook is in order, wanna help?" Kelly asked as she leaned into him.

Tim grinned, Nix's ego would definitely get taken up a notch "sure" he replied kissing her head "we'll do it from work, harder for him to trace back to us" he finished with a grin.

Kelly grinned "now you're talking" she settled into his side as they continued to watch the game.

Tim felt more comfortable with Kelly in his side, but he remembered something, he needed to update the office! He grabbed his phone &amp; texted Shaz _"__2__nd__ half started __– __Napoli is now 1 -1 with Roma annnndddd Nix scored! With a header!__"_

* * *

Shaz was knee deep in some background work when her phone went off, hoping it was another update from Tim, she smiled when she saw it was &amp; then her eyes widened as she read it, WOW! She jumped up "Napoli are now tying 1 – 1 with Roma, Nix scored! A Header!" she exclaimed to everyone in the bullpen

A collective cheer went around the bullpen.

Tristan smiled, she saw people high fiving each other &amp; still cheering "we're all proud of Phoenix, but back to work! We'll wait for the next update, no distractions!" she called loudly, but not sternly. She turned back to Hollis "sorry about that, we're just all a little happy"

"What just happened?" Tony asked coming out of the bathroom, he'd heard a cheer or something.

"Phoenix just levelled the scoring with Roma, with a header" Tristan answered

"Phoenix scored?" Tony asked

"Yes Tony, he scored" Tristan smiled

Tony grinned "Yea! Next stop San Siro!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself" Tristan warned "Agent Le Salle should be getting back to his office soon, why don't you go hook up with him &amp; see what he's managed to find"

"Yes ma'am" Tony nodded with a smile "next stop San Siro, next stop San Siro" he hummed as he walked away.

"San Siro?" Hollis enquired

Tristan turned "The Napoli 1st team are playing Inter Milan next week, the biggest club at the biggest stadium in the league. And some people think that depending on how Nix goes today, he may, may be a chance for the bench, but that's a very big if" she answered, she honestly couldn't see it from happening.

"You're all very much on this bandwagon" Hollis noted, she'd rarely seen such reactions from this many colleagues for such a thing.

"Not a bandwagon, we're a family here in Naples, and Gibbs and his family are key part of the family. So we've gone with Phoenix on his football odyssey. If we could, we'd all be there today, but we can't. It's the same with a lot of dependants, Kruse's son is currently attending a very prestigious art school in Florence, and my daughter is currently attending a culinary school there, and while it's a few hours away, when they have an exhibition, guest dinner option or even a simple open day, there is a solid group that goes to support. Same goes for the ones closer to base. We support each other, as we know how important it is" Tristan explained, it was thing she really enjoyed about this group &amp; the arrival of Gibbs and his family had only added to the family feeling the Naples NCIS office had.

Hollis nodded "fair enough, could I trouble you for a private word?" maybe she'd get some details from Tristan

* * *

"Mum! Dad!" Nix exclaimed as he came barrelling out of the player exit.

Gibbs grinned, the grin on his son's face was ever present he went into an instant hug with him "Great game bud! So proud of you son" he finished a little quieter into his son's ear as he &amp; his wife had him in a firm hug "so proud"

Shannon just beamed "what a great match darling" she commented as she too had hold of her son "so proud of you my darling"

"Thanks" Nix replied, he came out of the hug with his mum &amp; dad &amp; grinned at his sister.

Kelly just smirked "will your head fit into the car?"

Nix cocked his head "you're right, I need to drive the convertible, keys please" he grinned, the BMW they got was a convertible.

"Nope" Kelly just shook her head but then grinned as she launched into a hug.

Shannon &amp; Gibbs shared a smile as the pair put aside their antics and embraced in a loving hug.

Kelly &amp; Nix just smiled as they pulled out of their hug, both knowing no words were needed. Nix knew she was proud &amp; Kelly knew he knew she was proud.

"That was some game Nix pal" Jack smiled

Nix smiled at his grandfather "thanks gramps, it certainly had everything in it" he finished giving him a quick hug.

"Great game Nix" Tim smiled as he patted his back

"Thanks" Nix smiled.

"I'd just like to point out that you missed a header in the 82 minute" Mike smirked.

Nix eyed him "I nailed one &amp; set one up thank you very much" he smirked broadly.

"Yea you did" Mike nodded "but ya could've had 2 goals &amp; an assist" he finished with an equally big smirk back.

"Yea well, one goal, one assist and basically carrying the side for the entire first half seemed to please the trainers enough, I got man-of the match" Nix finished with a toothy grin.

"Well then congrats, a man of the match performance is good counter for growing a bald patch from all those headers you attempted" Mike said with a sly grin.

Nix's grin dropped from his face "What!?" he exclaimed "I don't have a bald batch! I need a mirror"

Mike could see the various faces smile &amp; he leaned into Kelly "think his head will fit into the car now" he whispered

Kelly laughed "yupp!"

Shannon covered her mouth to stop the smile from showing, Mike was always so good at bringing others down a few pegs and knew this banter was just him having some fun, but her son looked worried "you don't have a bald patch darling, relax" she finished with a sliding glance to Mike.

Nix took a deep breath &amp; looked at the now smirking Mike "arse!" he laughed giving Mike a right good push to the shoulder.

Mike laughed "you're too easy to rile" he said as brought Nix into a bear hug "bloody effing brilliant squirt!" he commended as he lifted Nix off the ground.

"Told ya I'd make an impact" Nix grinned as he gripped Mike just as hard "thanks" he said in a whisper to a guy who was basically his older brother.

Mike put him down &amp; ruffled his hair "yea, you did &amp; good for you"

Shannon smiled, they really did have a brotherly bond "Well then, you lot off to the base club or…" she knew her kids and Mike were going to go somewhere to blow off the steam after the match, and the plans last she heard was the base club.

"Actually, Migel said there's a new VIP club down at the port, thought we could check it out." Nix interjected.

"Sounds good to me" Kelly remarked, a new club was always something she enjoyed checking out! And she had to admit, her brothers ability to get them into VIP places was great!

"Does this club do food though? Because you need to eat darling" Shannon asked, he needed to eat something after using all that energy for the match.

"It's right above the steak place, so we can grab a bite to eat &amp; then hit the club" Nix answered.

"Thought you were going to go to the base club and grab the meal with mum &amp; your grandfather" Gibbs remarked, he couldn't put his finger on it, but with everything that was going on, he just felt more at ease with them being on base.

"Oh" Nix remarked, the guys had totally talked up the club that he'd jumped on the chance, completely forgetting the family plans he'd agreed to.

Shannon could see he was now feeling torn "it's alright darling, you go &amp; have we'll do breakfast tomorrow"

"You sure?" Nix asked

"Yes, you go &amp; check the new place out &amp; celebrate a great game" Shannon smiled

Gibbs wasn't liking it, but he didn't know why, he just had a gut feel that it wasn't ideal, but the look on his kids faces said that clearly wanted to check it out "McGee, you go too &amp; grab Jonas &amp; Andrews too, make it a group thing" he didn't want to disappoint his kids, so he'd send a group with them &amp; he knew Tim, Jonas &amp; Lt Andrews, were all dressed well enough to get into the place.

Tim looked at Gibbs surprised &amp; could tell he wasn't alone in the surprise factor "you sure boss?"

"Jethro?" Shannon enquired

"Just want you lot in a group, call it me being cautious" Gibbs answered her

Shannon wasn't quite sure what to make of that response, she pulled him a little away from the group "darling, what is it?"

"I don't know" Gibbs shook his head gently "I've just got a funny feeling is all, maybe its all this stuff with Patricia that's got me unsettled, I'd just feel more comfortable if they went with a few others"

"Well, there's a lot on your plate at the moment, its probably got you wound tighter than normal" Shannon gave him a sad smile "so ok, if that's what would make you feel better"

Gibbs bided his kids farewell, and as he walked back to their car with his wife &amp; dad, he cast his eyes back to his kids, who were heading to their own cars, along with Tim, Mike, Lt Andrews, Jonas &amp; two others, Jonas's girlfriend Ensign Evans &amp; Andrews mate Lt Carter. He was glad there was group and that the rest of the group knew they had to keep their eyes open, but his gut was still unsettled, he'd much preferred that they'd gone back to base. But his wife was probably right, he was wound tight, they'd be fine &amp; then in the morning enjoy a nice breakfast at the local café.

* * *

**A/N: what a match! There was certainly a lot going on, on the field &amp; off it! Nix is being considered for national duty, Mike's having family issues, and the men are clearly up to something b****ut could Gibbs gut be churning from something other than whats going on with Patricia? Will all be ok?**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away, more up soon &amp; we're about to start to really get into this, action is fast approaching!**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Here we go folks another chapter. To my recent followers/favourites, welcome aboard the ride! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I love reading your thoughts!**

**Guest reviewer: Sue Dooley: Thanks! So glad you liked it**

**Momcat: I myself know nothing about american football (gridiron) but i try to write the football (soccer) scenes in a such a way people get somewhat of an understanding. And to answer your question, Gibbs definitely wouldn't anyone walk allover his son!**

**Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I am not a banker, nor accountant. The medical &amp; technical banking talk in this chapter, I either looked up through Google, or used a creative licence, I do not pertain to know about the medical issue nor how bank account &amp; transfers work.**

**The shit is about to get real, so pay attention! Lots of details in this chapter..**

* * *

"Congratulations on the win, sounds like it was some game" Tristan smiled at Gibbs, as she greeted him in their outer office.

"It was definitely something" Gibbs replied with a smile "they've headed off to some new bar or club down at the port, I've sent McGee &amp; Jonas with them, along with a few others"

That caught Tristan's attention "everything ok?"

"Just wound a little tight is all, felt more comfortable that they had a few people with them, Captain Bond, Lieutenants Andrews &amp; Carter, and Ensign Evans have gone along too" Gibbs said, she needed to know &amp; it wasn't like he'd sent the whole detail that had gone to the game, Donnelly &amp; Dyson were both already back working.

"Ok" Tristan conceded, that was his call, but it was like he'd sent an army with them, Lt Andrews &amp; Lt Carter were both security officers for the base, neither man were to be messed with, and she was sure that statement rang true for Captain Bond. As for Ensign Evans, she worked in Naval Fleet Operations &amp; was a member of the team that just won the marital arts competition that NSA Naples held between branches, she was hardly a kitten! Add them to McGee &amp; Jonas, and it was… well, it was his call.

"What's the latest?" Gibbs asked as he finished making himself a coffee, but before she could answer, the door opened, it was Kruse.

"Agent Le Salle is ready to go boss, ma'am" Kruse said upon entering the area.

"We're coming" Tristan confirmed "looks like we'll find out now" she'd been waiting for him for over an hour.

Gibbs entered MTAC &amp; found Tony &amp; Ziva already in there, two control operators - Brian &amp; Michelle – along with Donnelly, and Le Salle was already on the screen "Agent Le Salle"

"Sir, Ma'am" Le Salle nodded

Tony smiled at Gibbs "San Siro?"

Gibbs smirked "don't get ahead of yourself, and don't say anything like that to Nix Tony"

"Sure" Tony nodded

"Agent Le Salle, we were expecting to hear from you well over an hour ago, have you had some trouble?" Tristan enquired

"Ah no ma'am, just the opposite, I was able to obtain quite a lot of information &amp; had to follow a lead through" Le Salle replied.

"Let's hear it then Le Salle" Gibbs stated

"Yes sir" Le Salle nodded "I was able to obtain details about Jacob Kaplan's stay in hospital, he'd been in &amp; out for the past 6 months, all stints at least a week in length"

"Why was he in hospital?" Tony asked concerned

"He's got Aplastic Anaemia" Le Salle answered

"What's that?" Ziva asked, that didn't really sound good, especially if he was in &amp; out of hospital for the past 6 months.

"It's a rare disease that results in deficiencies of all blood cells caused by the failure of bone marrow development" Le Salle answered.

Gibbs really didn't like the sound of that "prognosis? Treatment?" he'd seen Tony pale considerably.

"He takes a steady flow of medication &amp; has regular blood transfusions, for now its adequate to prevent it from gaining ground in his system, but to really get back to full health they are looking to do a bone marrow transplant but for that they need a…." Le Salle answered but was interrupted

"A donor" Tony remarked "that's why Patricia was looking for her family, she needs…" now more than ever he had to find both his sister &amp; his nephew.

"The hospital have already put him on the list &amp; are doing searches of the databases, but said that they knew Patricia was trying to find whatever family she could, the odds are greater for a match between family members" Le Salle remarked.

"How long can he go without getting treatment?" Gibbs asked, this had now turned into a race against time, but how long did they have?

"Well, he'd just had a transfusion, so on that front he's got maybe a month, 5 weeks at a push, but he takes medicine every day &amp; that he can't go without for more than a day." Le Salle remarked &amp; continued "The Doc said that when Jacob was checked out by his grandfather, he had enough stock for a week &amp; given they departed 5 days ago, we've got 3 days before it gets tricky"

Ziva didn't like the sound of that, they had 3 days to find Jacob, that wasn't long at all!

"Send through the details of the medication required, we will get it distributed to the teams we've got looking for them" Tristan instructed, she wanted that medicine on the agents that were searching, because 3 days was not a long time frame, at all!

"Yes ma'am" Le Salle nodded, before continuing "We also found a second address for the Commander's father, he has a place across in Clermont Harbour"

"Clermont Harbour? There was no address for the Commanders father in the records apart from his apartment in the French Quarter &amp; the house he lives in on base with the Commander" Tristan remarked.

"Yes ma'am, but we tracked the cab he left the hospital in on Monday and it ended up at a house in Clermont Harbour. Upon investigation the property is clearly owned by Laurence Alexander, the Commander's father" Le Salle offered

"What did you find there?" Gibbs enquired

"It was fairly empty, but I found some paperwork, still need to go through a lot of it, but we've found some pertaining to Jacob's hospital condition, and what we think relates to the Commander's search for family" Le Salle reported

"Have everything uploaded, the paperwork can be shared between you, the Great Lakes, us &amp; DC" Gibbs ordered

"Of course" Le Salle replied, he had 2 agents with him from the Great Lakes office already helping out as Pride was out of town "we also found evidence that they left in a hurry, the safe was left open, papers were everywhere &amp; that there was a bit of a struggle"

"Struggle? What kind of struggle?" Tony asked cautiously.

"Broken furniture &amp; a small amount of blood" Le Salle cautiously, he knew of the connection that Agent DiNozzo had to them "it's only a small amount on a broken lamp shade, we're having it tested against both Jacob's and Laurence's blood types"

"Let me know as soon as you do" Tony instructed, he prayed it wasn't Jake's.

"Anything on the Commander's whereabouts?" Ziva enquired.

"Not a great deal I'm afraid, the hospital staff said the last time they saw her was on Tuesday, but by then Jacob and his grandfather had departed, they said she just took off like lightning. We checked the security footage hoping for a way to track her, but she took off on foot &amp; we couldn't track her" Le Salle reported

Gibbs didn't like this one bit "how far a net are you casting?"

"BOLO's have been issued to all LEO's, along with all airports, train &amp; bus stations within 300 miles for all three" Le Salle answered "we're scanning as much of the area as possible, but it's like they've vanished"

"Make it 500 miles" Gibbs replied, it had been 4 days, 5 since the pair had checked out of the hospital &amp; they'd gotten nothing, he had to expand their search! He saw the nod from Le Salle, so he continued "anything else to report?"

"Nothing solid sir, we're still following up on…" Le Salle tried to say but got interrupted

"Well take whatever you've got, even if it's not solid" Gibbs interrupted, he'd take anything right now.

"I did find a piece of paper in the safe at the place in Clermont Harbour, not quite sure what to make of it" Le Salle, this was one thing he really didn't get.

"What's it say?" Ziva enquired.

"A lists of places New Orleans, Belfast, Liverpool, New York, Naples, Swansea, London &amp; Carlisle," Le Salle reported

Tony shared a look with Ziva &amp; Gibbs, what on earth was that about?

"Our tech was able to use a sample of the Commander's handwriting to match the handwriting of the list, it's her's" Le Salle remarked "that's our tech again calling, if you don't need anything else, I'll see what he's got &amp; check back in soon."

Tristan nodded "that's all great work Agent Le Salle, please update us with anything further as soon as you get it"

"Of course ma'am" Le Salle nodded before cutting the call.

Tony was thinking about the list of cities &amp; suddenly considered something "New Orleans, New York, Naples"

"Tony?" Gibbs asked wondering what he was thinking.

"All three cities are where we live, she's New Orleans, Senior's New York &amp; I'm Naples, maybe she'd narrowed her search down for family to cities?" Tony guessed

"That leaves Belfast, Liverpool, Swansea, London &amp; Carlisle, do you know of any family in those cities?" Ziva asked gently, she also realised that those city names could mean cities in many different countries or even states.

"Uncle Clive lived in London. His brother Jeffrey lives in Liverpool if I remember correctly &amp; I recall something about cousins from Belfast, but nothing about Swansea &amp; Carlisle" Tony remarked.

Ziva looked at him surprised "you have another uncle?"

Gibbs of course had heard about Jeffrey from Linda Turner, but was intrigued as to what Tony would say. He'd noted that during the conversation both Kruse &amp; Donnelly had been shifting in &amp; out, and right now, both were out, he was glad that this would be discussed with fewer people around.

Tony sighed "Jeffrey Paddington, my mothers oldest brother, I have never really had much to do with him, he didn't even speak to me at Clive's funeral. Clive once said that he &amp; his brother had a falling out with my mother, and that Jeffrey couldn't put that aside to see or speak to me. Uncle Clive was the only member of my mother's family that ever really kept in contact with me after she past or showed any interest in me"

Ziva didn't like that, she saw that there were similar veins of unhappiness across Gibbs's face, she was about to say something when Michelle interrupted.

"Excuse me Boss, Ma'am, FBI Agent Fornell has dialled in &amp; requests an immediate conversation, he says its urgent" Michelle replied

"Bring it up" Gibbs instructed, he waited for the screen to move to the centre screen "Fornell" he greeted, but he was also with "Michael" what on earth was Michael Barnes doing with Fornell? And there was also a third man there too, his gut started to churn, yet again.

"Jethro, it's good to see you, I wish it were under better circumstances" Michael greeted him, this wasn't going to be easy to tell or hear.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked, but he saw Michael looking at the other people in the room "Deputy Assistant Director Tristan, this is Michael Barnes, lead partner &amp; co owner of Barnes &amp; Associates, the Law Firm Kelly works at, Michael Deputy Assistant Director Megan Tristan" he introduced.

"Mr Barnes" Tristan greeted, wondering what information required the FBI to meet up with them.

Michael nodded in greeting "Deputy Assistant Director Tristan, its nice to meet you. I'd also like to introduce my lead investigator Jim Nelson, Jim, Kelly's father Deputy Special Assistant Director Gibbs, Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo, and Senior Field Agent Ziva David"

Tony eyed the guy, this was who was looking for the connection of his sister "hi"

Jim nodded at all of them, but his gaze fell to Tony "Agent DiNozzo, it's good to be able to face to all of this"

Tony nodded but was eager "have you found anything?"

"Yes" Jim answered shortly "I presume Kelly informed you that we'd narrowed the search down to two adoption agencies?"

"Yes, have you been there yet?" Tony asked impatiently

"We had to get the FBI's assistance because they were playing hardball, but Agent Fornell got us access &amp; I can confirm that your sister was put through the Louise Fallon Adoption Agency" Jim answered "she spent only 2 weeks there, before being adopted by Laurence Alexander, at which time he had her name changed from Patricia Danielle to Patricia Marie &amp; he took her to New Orleans"

"So the Commander is my sister?" Tony asked quietly, was he finally getting confirmation?

Jim smiled "Yes, Commander Patricia Marie Kaplan is your older sister Tony" glad he could confirm that.

Tony smiled &amp; shared it with Ziva &amp; Gibbs.

Gibbs smiled, he was glad they'd gotten confirmation finally, one issue though "what's the problem &amp; why are you still with them Fornell?"

Tony saw Fornell &amp; Michael share a concerned look, what was the need for Fornell &amp; Michael to be there for the briefing?

Fornell glanced around the room that Gibbs was in, there were a lot of people "this is rather, shall I say more personal, maybe get the room cleared"

Gibbs was just confused "what?"

Tristan saw that Gibbs was confused but she thought she'd do as asked "Brian, Michelle, clear the room" she'd leave the decision to remove Tony &amp; Ziva to Gibbs.

Tony watched as Tristan took out the MTAC operators &amp; shared a look of concern with Ziva, what the? Would Gibbs want them to leave too?

"They stay, now spit it out" Gibbs said looking back at Fornell.

Fornell sighed "Jethro, this is rather personal, you may want them to…"

Gibbs had no idea what was going on "Does it relate to Tony &amp; his sister?"

"Well…. yea" Fornell finally replied

"Then they're here for it" Gibbs replied, he was getting really concerned.

"Ok then" Fornell nodded "the forensic accountants have finished one branch of their investigation"

"What's that got to do with this?" Gibbs all but demanded. He knew that investigation was taking time, it wasn't exactly something that could be done quickly, given the years of transactions they were sifting through, but what on earth did the investigation into Mac &amp; his financial dealing have to do with this situation?

Fornell really didn't want to say this next part but knew he had to "those monthly payments he sent Kelly"

"What about them?" Gibbs asked, he really had no clue what was going on "I thought you were investigating his business dealings?"

"We are Jethro, that's still on going, but as the accounts linking Kelly to him were intertwined with his businesses, we checked them too and well…the entire sum didn't come from MacDonald" Fornell answered warily as he traded looks with Michael.

"What are you talking about?" Gibbs was getting more confused by the sentence.

"On the 10th of every month he sent the amount that was in one of his 'secondary' business accounts over to Kelly" Fornell started to explain, he was careful not mention amounts, as he wasn't sure what Tony &amp; Ziva knew about how much money had actually changed hands.

"I know that!" Gibbs asserted, he was loosing his patience.

"Yes, we knew that Jethro, but…" Fornell said, he took a breath before continuing, Gibbs was going to loose it very soon, that was certain! "The funds were transferred out at the same time every month, 10th of the month at 15:00, like clockwork. They worked out that that account was cleared via a sweep program into the account belonging to Kelly, meaning whatever funds were sitting in it got moved across to her"

"Fornell, if you don't get to point soon, I will reach through the screen &amp; whack you!" Gibbs barked, he needed the point of all of this, and he needed it now!

"It'd be a bit of stretch, **_sir_**" Fornell couldn't stop the smirk from forming, glad they could have one moment where the tension broke before the shit got real.

Gibbs eyed him and smirked "I've grown a greater reach, **_Agent_** Fornell" while he was ready to loose it, he had to reply to his friend's remark "get back to transfer Tobias" he sighed.

Fornell nodded "they found that MacDonald transferred the funds into the account that same afternoon, at 14:45 actually, meaning he didn't leave his money sitting in that account for any length of time that could draw any interest on it" he took a breath, a deep one "the thing is the amount he transferred into the account was only 15-20% worth of what actually reached Kelly's account" he finished holding his breath.

Gibbs wasn't sure what he was hearing, it sounded like "are you saying that … what are you saying?" he actually didn't know what he was hearing.

"I'm saying that 80-85% of the money that reached Kelly did not come from MacDonald, Jethro" Fornell stated "At exactly 14:58 each month a deposit hit the account, because it then got cleared out 2 minutes later it never showed up on the account records, funds have to be in the account for a solid 5 minutes in order to show up &amp; as it got included in the sweep, Kelly only ever saw one amount, so she'd presumed it had all come from MacDonald"

Tony saw Gibbs just staring at the screen in utter shock, he traded looks with Ziva, both were concerned &amp; neither knew what to say, the conversation was leaving them a little confused, what did this talk about money &amp; bank accounts have to do with Patricia?

Gibbs was just confused, really confused, Mac wasn't the one that sent the money to Kelly? Mac… "you saying he basically sent her nothing?" that bastard had said he would take care of them! Said he felt sorry for what he'd done! Not that he ever believed that, but he'd always considered that at least he'd done the right thing &amp; provided financially for his kids.

"No Jethro, from what we could work out, in the beginning he sent her sustainable funds &amp; the addition deposit was minimal. Over time however, my guess as he saw Kelly start earning a decent wage he decreased the amount he was transferring, the catch was that the additional deposit seemed to rise on the same curve, so she was always receiving a sustainable amount. The 15-20/80-85 split is over the total period" Fornell explained

That was something, marginally Gibbs thoughts, that now left one massive question "you know who deposited the additional money?" who on earth would do this? Who would transfer funds that only had one purpose, to provide for his kids, there was no one else left..

Ziva saw Fornell &amp; Michael exchange yet another look of concern, she was rather taken with the conversation she was hearing as she really didn't know that much about the financial matters that Mac &amp; Kelly had had with each other, but what could this have to do with Patricia?

Michael decided to take this one "Jethro, the funds originated with a Mr Laurence Alexander, of New Orleans"

This time it wasn't just Gibbs that was staring at the screen in shock, Tony &amp; Ziva had joined him.

"What?" Gibbs &amp; Tony exclaimed

"The man that adopted your sister Tony, is the same man that sent the funds to your children Jethro" Michael explained "We caught the connection while Tobias was helping us at the adoption agency" he added

"Who the hell is this guy?" Gibbs asked completely gobsmacked, he saw that Tony was just as stunned as he was.

"Well, that's the mystery" Fornell said but he shared a look with a Jim

"He adopted her, without a wife, and in that era, that was basically unheard of!" Jim said, he was really perplexed by that.

"Our records indicate that he was married, to a Leah Oden" Ziva remarked

Jim nodded "They only married when Patricia was 3 years old &amp; they didn't stay married for long, they divorced 5 years later…"

Fornell picked it up "from what we've worked out she left for Australia and never looked back, no communication, nothing"

"I have to say that the adoption is rather perplexing, the records clearly show that he adopted her as a single man, which as Jim mentioned…" Michael tried to say

"Is unheard of" Tony finished "so how'd it happen?"

"Well, the Louise Fallon Adoption Agency was a private establishment, it had only been open for 6 months when she was put through. So there's a chance the people running it were ahead of their time, it's the only possibility I can think of" Jim answered

"What's the connection…." Gibbs started to ask

"I did a background check on the guy &amp; Laurence Alexander of New Orleans, died when he was 8 to influenza, in 1897. This Laurence Alexander was only in existence for 3 years before the adoption, we don't know who he actually is" Fornell said hesitantly, Gibbs was definitely coming apart at the seams.

Gibbs let out a barrage of words that he knew would fill more than one swear jar, fuck! This wasn't good!

"So wait a sec, you're saying that some 'random' guy had taken a new identity only to adopt my sister &amp; then what send money for 20 years to Kelly &amp; Nix &amp; we have no idea who he is?" Tony barked

"That's pretty much it DiNutzo" Fornell agreed, though he was taken aback a little, that sounded like Gibbs! He continued "as of this minute we have no clue of this guy's real identity or what the connection is, but I find it rather odd that the same guy that adopted Patricia was also sending money to Kelly. Your families didn't know each other, did they? And the two of you only met in Baltimore when you were with PD &amp; NCIS, yes?" he asked, he was dumbfounded!

Gibbs &amp; Tony shared a look, what was the connection? They'd only met on the job, not before Tony was even born! And each man was certain the families didn't know each other.

Ziva was about to say something when the MTAC screens &amp; their phones all went nuts, flashing &amp; beeping like crazy, she rushed to the terminal to check, oh no! "Gibbs! It's an Agent in Distress alarm"

"WHO?" Gibbs barked, but he got a really bad feeling.

"Jonas" Ziva stated looking at him, this wasn't good!

"Fuck!" Gibbs yelled, he knew it, fuck!

* * *

**A/N: So…. yea, I will just leave you to think about that…. haha**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: ok folks, here's another chapter, I won't say this will allay any fears though, lol. To my recent followers/favourites, welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us! To my amazing ****reviewers, thank you so much, I also love reading your thoughts, they keep me inspired!**

**Guest reviewer: Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you liked it.. **

**Guest reviewer: Momcat: glad I could give you a cliffhanger, my stories are definitely not all sweet, there's action, anguish too!**

**Now, let's get into it..**

* * *

"This club is pretty cool" Tim admitted, while he was happy to be here with Kelly, Gibbs's comments &amp; instructions had him remain focused &amp; alcohol free, just as all the others were. He was sure Gibbs was just being Rambo overprotective, but he trusted Gibbs's gut too much to disregard it.

"Yea, squirt certainly has developed a great ability to get on the invite lists of all the best places" Kelly smiled, glad Tim was there with them, even if it was due to her dad being a little overprotective "where is he with the food though?"

"Here he comes" Andrews commented seeing Nix &amp; co approach the area they'd commandeered.

"What took you so long?" Kelly asked as her brother approached, he'd somehow convinced the steak restaurant to plate up food for them &amp; allow them to bring up here.

Nix grinned at her but looked to Mike.

Mike shook his head &amp; sat down next to his friend "you don't want to know"

"What happened?" Kelly asked curious, she knew it was nothing bad, but she was curious.

Nix just grinned as he watched Jonas &amp; Evans both sit themselves down, he sat down facing Mike &amp; his sister "come on Mikey, it was cool wasn't it?"

"I have other words to describe it squirt" Mike retorted.

"Describe what?" Kelly asked, the pair of them were just staring at each other "one of you better tell me, now please"

"I refuse" Mike said categorically

Nix's grin grew even larger "Got stopped to sign some autographs"

Kelly's smile dropped &amp; she just stared at her brother "I'm sorry?" she stuttered, huh?

"A few girls asked me for my autograph, I had to oblige" Nix said with the same grin.

Kelly just kept her stare on her brother, yea, that's what she thought she heard, she finally broke her gaze &amp; looked at Mike.

"That's how I feel" Mike stated

Kelly wasn't sure how she felt "I think I've lost my appetite"

"I know I have" Mike remarked, this whole day was getting better &amp; better, he was seriously at loss with what was happening with Nix.

Tim had to admit he was extremely surprised to hear that someone, no some people, had wanted Nix's autograph, it was pretty weird "how many?"

"Six" Nix grinned as he reacted for a sirloin slither.

Kelly fell backwards against the couch she was sitting on "the continent" she chuckled.

"Convertible is mine" Nix chuckled in response.

Kelly lifted her head to look at her brother "You know the run on Monday?" she needed to bring him down a few pegs.

"Yea?" Nix asked hesitantly, why bring that up now?

"Guess who your pace setter is?" Kelly smirked, but flashed a look to Mike.

Nix shifted his gaze to Mike "dad sets the pace" he did not want Mike to set it.

"Not on Monday" Kelly countered "Spoke to dad earlier, I want to do some work at the dojo &amp; he wants to come with, but he doesn't want you to miss your morning run, so Mike will go with you as the pace setter" she finished with a grin.

Nix could see the grin on Mike's face "how can he set the pace when he doesn't know the routes?" maybe that would prevent it

"Oh, my sense of direction is pretty good, think I can handle it" Mike grinned, this was definitely bringing him down a few pegs.

"I'm going to call Stac" Nix stated rising again, though he swallowed some more sirloin slithers

"Can I make a suggestion?" Kelly asked, she received just a stare in reply "do NOT tell her about those girls you bumped into"

Nix looked at her confused "why?"

Kelly rolled her eyes "because I know what the deal is with you &amp; her, and trust me, she won't want to hear that a bunch of girls were ogling after you &amp; you pandered to them" no girl would want to hear that!

Nix considered it &amp; nodded "ok, thanks" he saw though that Mike had gone to stand up, as had Jonas &amp; Evans "you guys can chill, I'm just heading outside for like 10 minutes"

Jonas flashed a look to McGee, though they were both SFA's, he was lead right now.

Tim knew what Jonas was asking "Your dad's just being…"

"Rambo overprotective" Nix inserted

"Yea, he'll settle once this thing with Tony &amp; his sister is sorted out" Tim remarked

Nix huffed "fine, come along, you know it kinda fells like I've got an entourage, could get used to it"

Mike smirked "We have to let out the air that's in that head of yours"

"Major deflation required" Kelly smirked.

"Har har di har har" Nix smirked "you're both hilarious!"

"Of course we are, that's why we won the duet comedy competition at college" Mike remarked with a smirk as he pushed Nix towards the exit.

Carter watched as they headed off, he reached &amp; took another piece of food before looking towards Kelly "still can't believe you got Master Kryn here, the guy's a legend!"

Kelly smiled "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse"

"And what was that exactly?" Carter enquired, he wondered just what she'd given him to move to Naples &amp; take over the Dojo that services their base &amp; the surrounding community. The Dojo, the first one to open in Italy, had been open for a year this coming January but had been struggling to get the numbers, however with the arrival of Kelly &amp; Nix, came a renewed wave to push to get more people in the doors, and shortly after they seemed to have landed one of the best Sensei's in Master Kryn. For him it was brilliant, as it was a discipline he'd always wanted to learn &amp; now he was able to do that under him, it was just brilliant, Kelly had also been taking some of the classes in which he was in and had to admit she was kick ass!

"A beautiful place to live, the chance to really make a difference at a Dojo that couldn't seem to get going, even though there were plenty of prospective students in the immediate area annddd" Kelly drew out

"And what?" Carter pressed

Andrews saw her just smile "she sweet talked Col Marks into allowing him a ride aboard an F16 amongst other things"

"Shush you!" Kelly chuckled

Andrews laughed "you're almost as bad as your brother" she knew exactly how to play things to get the desired effect she was after.

"My head is not the size of Europe currently!" Kelly laughed "besides, Master Nagel wanted to go home to California due to the ill health of his mother, so he needed to be replaced anyway. They just weren't sure they were going to replace him or shut the place down given the poor numbers"

"Really?" Carter asked

"Yea, I may have some pull with Col Marks through dad, but I have much less with the Chuk Kuk Do hierarchy, if they hadn't planned on replacing him, they wouldn't have. Our arrival, coupled with the slight upturn in numbers anyway, gave them food for thought, and they decided to give it another push to see if they could make a go of it" Kelly answered. She knew very well that if they didn't want to pursue it they wouldn't have. They also realised that with her &amp; Nix there it brought 2 people that were well into their discipline &amp; could both go straight into the class teaching, which would help ease the burden on the Sensei &amp; allow him to work on other areas of the business.

"You think Norris will be coming out any time?" Carter pressed, that would be brilliant!

"Maybe, but I haven't heard anything about it. I know he still visits troops all over the place, so maybe having a Dojo here will give more of a pull to draw him in" Kelly remarked.

"When's your exam?" Andrews asked, she was going for next degree in Black, which would also give her a greater position in the teaching ranks, not that there were many teachers to start with.

Tim wasn't into martial arts himself, so he was just enjoying holding Kelly as she discussed it. He had no issue that she shared this passion with these guys, he was glad she could share it with someone. He checked his watch, Nix &amp; the others had been gone for 15 minutes, he'd let it go a little longer, but if they weren't back in a further 15 he'd go check it out.

"Just after New Year, same time as everyone else's exams, which is why I'm going in on Monday, need to start getting seriously ready. The list of things I have to be able to do, it's longer than my body &amp; harder than anything I've ever seen!" Kelly replied, she'd been preparing for quite some time already, but it was time to kick it up a notch if she had any hope of doing well.

"I'm sure you'll pass Kells, you've been working out a fair bit" Andrews replied

"Except, Master Kryn won't accept me just passing, he won't accept anything other than a perfect grade mark in the exam, no perfect score, I retake the exam, the following day!" Kelly replied "having a Sensei who knows you, and has known you for over 7 years, has its draw backs. This next progression will allow me to take full ownership of all the junior grade belt classes, and he's already told me that if I don't meet his expectations, he won't pass me &amp; let me take the classes on, because the students deserve a teacher who is a Master at the discipline and therefore must pass with perfect marks."

"Ouch" Carter remarked "he never seemed to be that tough with you though, I've seen him come down on students, and other class teachers much harder than he's ever done with you" he'd always considered Kelly was a favourite of his.

Kelly laughed "Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy…. You're so delusional! The man may seem to be les tough with me in front of others, but that's because it would be bad form to come down on a black belt holder in front of others. Trust me, away from you all, he is no kitten! My arse has suffered on many many occasions!"

Tim smiled, he recalled a few instances where she'd gotten back from the dojo &amp; literarily crawled into the bath after a session with him "it has" he agreed with a smile.

"If they don't get back soon, all this food will be gone" Kelly noted as she took some more for herself.

Tim checked his watch again, ok, they'd now been gone a solid 30 minutes "let's go get them, food will be stone cold otherwise" that was the excuse he'd use, but he was nervous that they'd been gone for so long with no word given Nix said 10 minutes, Jonas should have messaged &amp; he had decided to check on them anyway.

As he led the others out the front he scanned the area, they were right down on the port, he looked up and down the promenade. There were heaps of people around, but he couldn't see their people at all "why don't you two…" he started to say to the marines, but was interrupted by his phone, he cast his eyes down &amp; they widened instantly, it was an agent in distress alarm, and it was Jonas! Instantly he hit the button for his GPS location, they were around the back at the far end of the car park "Carter, take Kelly back inside, Andrews, around the back! NOW!" he yelled taking off like lightning.

Kelly ignored Tim's order &amp; took off right on his heels she was extremely worried now Tim was looking far too concerned for her liking.

Carter cursed that Kelly had gone straight after Tim, he knew he'd have no chance in getting her back, so he like Andrews simply followed as fast as he could, but he saw a few of his marines nearby "Sanderson! Nikos! Chen! Fall in!" he yelled at them whilst still running. He was glad when the marines instantly started running to follow them.

Tim wished Kelly had done as asked, but couldn't delay going to find the others, he'd just have to stay in front of her. As he raced down the car park he wasn't sure where he needed to look, his eyes kept darting all over the place, the street lighting was pathetic here, but he finally zoned in to the area he knew was the source. There was a flurry of movement around 2 vehicles still a distance away, and they looked like large SUV's, his eyes widened "JONAS!" he yelled, he'd seen his fellow SFA get unceremoniously shoved out of one of the SUV's and was then shot at. Watching the SUV's take off from the other end he knew that he no chance of catching them, their cars were in a whole other car park, fuck! He sprinted towards the scene.

As Kelly raced around to the car park, which didn't really have ample street lighting, she just kept running as Tim was still going head first towards the other end, as they got closer she screamed "MIKE!" she'd watched in horror as he got kicked out of one of SUV's, shot at and then run over by another "MIKE!" before both SUV's took off.

Carter couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Captain Bond, the guy had been thrown out of the SUV, but he'd managed to pull a man with him, but that guy had somehow managed to break free &amp; was making a run for it "Sanderson with me!" he ordered taking off after him.

Sanderson wasn't sure what was going on, but he'd noticed that it was NCIS Agent Jonas Quinton that had been one of the men thrown from the vehicle "what's going on?" he yelled

Carter had a very bad gut feeling "Phoenix Gibbs was in that SUV!" that was the only thing that made any sense as to why both Jonas &amp; Bond were trying to get into it "we've gotta catch this guy!" he yelled, pushing himself faster.

Sanderson's eyes widened, Phoenix Gibbs had just been kidnapped by these men? That wasn't good! He kicked himself into a higher gear.

Carter saw the guy was going straight for the back alleys, if he got there they'd loose him, he saw the path ahead split, with one having a slight incline versus the other, he ran straight for it at full speed, he'd gained ground &amp; threw himself down onto the man, pinning him.

Sanderson was half a dozen steps behind his LT &amp; saw the guy get pinned but he could see the man was struggling against the hold, so threw himself down onto the guy as well. Between them they now had him squarely in their hold.

As Kelly raced towards Mike a giant lump formed in her throat "Where's Phoenix!?" she yelled.

Tim had a very bad feeling, both Jonas &amp; Mike had been shoved out of the same SUV, there would only be one reason the pair of them would try to get into it, "Andrews! Check Jonas! Find Evans!" he ordered, as he raced towards Mike just as Kelly was getting to him. He noted that Carter &amp; another man had taken off after the guy that Mike had managed to pull out of the SUV with him, and that Andrews had 2 other men hot on his heels too.

"Mike" Kelly cried as he dropped down to him, he was looking like a utter mess, it looked like he'd had a head on collision with a semi-tone truck &amp; lost "Mike! Where's Phoenix?!"

Tim dropped down next to her, he surveyed Mike, he really didn't look good "Mike!" he stripped his shirt off &amp; used it to try to stop the bleeding, he'd been shot in the chest at least once, amongst other things. He really didn't want to know the kind of damage he'd gotten from getting run over, but it also looked like he'd gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson before he was even shot, the cuts were aplenty, and his knuckles looked severely damaged from a fight.

Mike groaned, and did his best to open his eyes, he thought he saw Kelly "sorry" he coughed.

"What do you mean sorry!? Where's Phoenix!? Where's my brother!" Kelly half demanded, half cried.

"Tried… tried to stop them…. Out of nowhere… Too many…. Too many.." Mike stuttered as he moved his head left &amp; right "too many…. Too many.."

Tim's stomach dropped about 10 feet as he pressed down on the wound, he thought this was the case, but fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Mike was already drifting in &amp; out of consciousness, but had caught his attention.

"Keep her safe" Mike got out to Tim before succumbing to the darkness.

* * *

**A/N: Yea… I think I will leave you all to ponder on that… ;p**

**The next chapter is already in the works, so I will try to get it up soon for you all. **

**You know I love to read your thoughts/comments, so review away! More up soon!**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Here we go folks, another chapter! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome aboard! I'm so glad to have you with us on these continuing adventures! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I really love reading your thoughts, they keep me inspired to write.**

**To my guest reviewers:**

**CookieSprinkles: Thanks for your review! Interrogating that man will happen in due course, but getting Mrs G to do would be interesting! Mike &amp; Jonas are banged up and we'll just have to wait &amp; see how they'll both come through it.**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks!**

**Momcat: I don't do entire stories without angst, fluffy chapter yes, but there is always something around the corner. To answer you comment about Nix living in the constant state of stress though in DC with his sister, he didn't really, because he didn't know the score, as far as her 'dead' parents were concerned, so that was all on Kelly. I'm not saying he didn't have stresses, because he did have to deal with the constant thought that maybe Mac would show up, but compared with his sister, the stress &amp; vigilance wasn't as high. I assure you though Gibbs will find him, what state he or the kidnappers will be in though… we'll you'll have to wait &amp; see, sorry! **

**Ladyaloysius: Glad you're loving this still, and yes Gibbs gut is fairly accurate, but he is Rambo protective, so its a balancing for him with his family. As for meeting Patricia.. that will come &amp; let's just say, she is Tony's sister right? ;p **

**Warning: There is swearing in this chapter, Gibbs &amp; others will be letting loose - I think we'll give them all a pass on the swear jar though, because otherwise, I think Mrs G would have enough to.. well, yes...**

**LEO = Law Enforcement Officer; A.I.D = Agent In Distress alarm**

**Now, without further delay, let's get into it! **

* * *

Andrews rushed towards Jonas, but caught sight of another body lying slumped on a grass patch not too far away "Nikos! Over there, could be Ensign Evans!" he ordered as he dropped down to Jonas with Chen. He instantly stripped his top off &amp; pressed it into his shoulder region to stem the bleeding he'd obviously sustained from the gun shot "Jonas! Jonas!"

Jonas groaned "fuck"

"Hey!" Andrews called again, gently tapping his cheek, he needed to keep him conscious "stay with me Jonas! Where's Phoenix? Where's Evans?"

"Out of nowhere… tried…. tried….. too many…" Jonas groaned

Andrews shared a look of concern with Chen "they're in the SUV's?" he asked, that wasn't good! "Quinton!" he said patting his cheek again "were they taken?"

Jonas managed to get an eye open "Nix gone… HC 578 XYZ…. Joyce…"

Chen's eyes widened "number plate! He got it!" he grabbed his phone &amp; typed it in before he forget it, then he realised something "wait.. Nix….. Phoenix was taken? As in Phoenix Gibbs?" shit, this wasn't good!

Andrews cursed, this wasn't good, not good at all!

"Call for EMT's! And MP's!" McGee yelled, his hands were way too busy!

Andrews grabbed his phone, usually he'd call his direct supervisor but this one was going straight to the top, on the fifth ring it was answered "Col Marks sir, this is Lt Andrews, Phoenix Gibbs has been kidnapped from the Port, we need MP's &amp; at least 3 EMT vehicles sir"

"Evans needs the EMT's!" Nikos shouted, but saw another body "got another body! Just there!"

Andrews motioned for Chen to investigate.

Marks shook himself awake "Lieutenant, slow down &amp; repeat, it sounded as though you said Phoenix was kidnapped"

"**_HE WAS SIR!_** In 2 SUV's, Agent Quinton, Captain Bond &amp; Ensign Evans are all in need of serious &amp; immediate medical attention sir" Andrews repeated.

Marks shot out of bed "exact location Andrews?" upon receiving it, he put the LT on hold &amp; re-dialled for the base control centre "get 3 EMT teams down to the port, exact location being texted as we speak &amp; send an entire squad of MP's along as well &amp; I want 4 MP's to my residence, don't ask why Major! Just do it, now! I want them all there yesterday!"

Marks took a breath, he saw his wife was also wide eyed awake "call Harm for me, tell him to get all trauma teams into the hospital asap &amp; to start prep for at least 3 serious situations"

Maggie nodded but was very worried "did Andrews say Phoenix got kidnapped?" the only reply she received was a concerned nod.

Mark went back to the Lt "Andrews! EMT's &amp; MP's are on the way, now what the fuck happened?" he asked as he pulled clothes on as fast as he could.

* * *

"Mike!" Kelly cried, he'd lost consciousness &amp; she was really worried about him. She was doing her best to put her all consuming worry about her brother out of her mind, she had to deal with what was in front of her &amp; that was one of her best friends fighting for his life.

"Kell, he's just unconscious" Tim soothed, praying he was right. He wished he could take hold of her, he wished he had a spare hand but he was using both his hands, and a leg to keep the pressure on all his wounds as firm as possible. He had no idea what on earth Mike had been through, but it was more than just what he'd seen, he was an utter mess.

"3 EMT's &amp; MP's are on the way McGee!" Andrews shouted "Col Marks has got 4 MP's headed for Gibbs's residence just in case!" he wasn't sure that was necessary, the family did live in the middle of the base, but he wouldn't argue with the Colonel right now.

"Good!" Tim nodded, he quickly cast his eyes around, where the hell was Carter? Did he manage to get the punk? He saw a man he now recognised as Sgt Nikos over another body which he could only presume was Ensign Evans. He realised there was one call he had to make… he had to call Gibbs..

* * *

Fornell had no clue what going on, an Agent in Distress alarm was never a good thing, but Gibbs looked down right homicidal &amp; he suddenly sprinted out of the room "DiNozzo! What's going on!?"

Tony swallowed "Jonas was with Kelly &amp; Phoenix, gotta go!" he yelled taking off after Gibbs.

Fornell shared a very concerned look with Michael, this didn't sound good!

Gibbs was downright petrified, he raced out of MTAC &amp; down the stairs as he dialled his phone, he first tried his daughter, but she didn't pick up "Call me Kelly!" next he tried his son, same thing, he didn't pick up "Call me Phoenix!"

Tony instantly tried calling Tim, but just like Gibbs, he wasn't having luck getting through "Answer Tim! Call me McGee! ASAP!"

"Kruse! Wu! Gear up! Full load!" Gibbs yelled rushing through the bullpen.

Tristan was passing Gibbs on her way back to MTAC "we'll get exact details, be in touch! Vella! Donnelly! With me!" she was glad that both agents had wrapped the investigations they'd both been dealing with &amp; could focus on the current situation.

"They should be down at the port" Gibbs yelled back.

Gibbs had his phone plastered to his ear, it was on a loop constantly calling his kids and as he threw himself into the car his phone rang, hoping it was McGee he was disappointed it wasn't, it was Ted, he threw the phone to Tony "answer" he wasn't sure why he just didn't ignore it, but he didn't.

"GPS signal for all of them are from a carpark behind a row of clubs Gibbs" Ziva remarked, she was on the line with MTAC, and all of their signals, Tim, Jonas, Kelly &amp; Nix were all showing to be in the same area.

"Ahh boss, you need to speak to Ted" Tony said very worried.

Gibbs flashed him a concerned look but took the phone "Busy Ted" he didn't have time for this.

"Tony said, but I'm worried about Phoenix" Ted said concerned "he was speaking with Stacey, she said that out of nowhere she heard yelling &amp; shouting. She brought me the phone instantly &amp; I heard the same thing, multiple screaming voices. I heard him scream something along the lines of 'dragon left arm &amp; skull right neck' but that was all I got before the voices got more distant &amp; just faded away, like the phone got dropped or something, what's going on?"

Gibbs stomach dropped further, fuck! fuck! fuck! fuck! "Don't know yet, I've gotta go!" he had to get there!

"Boss!" Tony exclaimed, they'd just turned onto the freeway that went right down to the port &amp; he saw 3 EMT vehicles &amp; a pair of marine vehicles all a mile ahead of them, sirens blazing.

Gibbs saw exactly what Tony was pointing at when his phone rang, it was McGee, he answered via speaker "**_McGee!_** What the fuck is going on?" he demanded.

Tim could hear how scared Gibbs was, how the hell was he going to say this? "Not exactly sure what happened…"

"Mike!" Kelly yelled, he was now convulsing "Tim! What's happening?" she was trying to keep him from bleeding out, but he just started shaking.

Tim rearranged the phone so he could use both hands again "he's having a convulsion, we really need that ambulance" he said to himself more than anyone else, not even realising he said it out loud.

Tony flashed a worried look back to Ziva, this didn't sound good! "EMT's are ahead of us, we should be there soon McGee"

Gibbs heard utter pain in his daughter's voice "what happened?!" he barked, he got no reply all he heard was more shouting.

"McGee! Kelly!" Gibbs barked again, as he floored it, he was now right behind one of the marine vehicles &amp; saw the rest of the NCIS team right behind him.

"Boss, I really don't know how to say this…" Tim started, but he was again interrupted

"Shut the fuck up before I run **_you_** over arsehole!" Carter barked as he manhandled the bastard they'd caught, with Sanderson right next to him.

"You'll pay for this!" the man sneered.

"Use your right to remain silent" Sanderson asserted as he kept his hand firmly on the man's biceps.

"I need help!" Tim ordered towards the pair.

"I've got him" Sanderson said, shoving the guy back down to the ground.

"It's soaked through, I need your shirt!" Tim exclaimed.

Carter rushed over "Shit!" he stripped his top off &amp; passed it to McGee "EMT's?"

"On the way, so is back up" Tim confirmed "Damn it Mike, hang on!" he couldn't seem to stop the bleeding.

"McGee!" Gibbs barked, he was at his limit, none of this was sounding good. Screw this phone, he was there, he pulled the car up right next to the trio of EMT &amp; marine vehicles. Throwing himself out of the car he saw a scene of utter chaos, but he zeroed in on his daughter &amp; raced towards her.

Sanderson saw the EMT's &amp; MP's arrive "Corporal! 3 men over here, now!" he ordered, they needed to cuff the punk, when a trio of MP's approached he continued "cuff this guy, he moves an inch, shoot him!"

"Yes Sargent!" the MP's answered as they secured the man.

* * *

Commander Brine approached the carpark, having received a call from Maggie &amp; being in the area, he thought it would be more helpful. He'd sent his wife straight to the hospital, she wasn't medical staff, but she did work in the administration.

"My g-d!" Brine exclaimed, approaching he saw chaos, there were bodies everywhere, with one or two people over each &amp; he'd just seen the EMT's, MP's &amp; Local LEO's arrive on scene. He hurried to the nearest body he came to.

"Commander!" Nikos saw, the head doctor, thank the stars! "Ensign Evans seems to have been concussed, maybe a broken arm, wrist too, and she keeps drifting in &amp; out of consciousness" he realised something though "EMT's can handle her sir, Agent Quinton &amp; Captain Bond need you more, they've both been shot"

Brine cursed but nodded "tell them to pack her up &amp; get going!" he ordered.

Andrews saw Commander Brine approach &amp; while he'd be grateful for the assistance, he knew the EMT's would be able to manage, and Captain Bond needed him more "go to Captain Bond sir!" he yelled.

Brine did as suggested but barked out orders to his paramedics "one unit there, another there! Mitchell's with me!"

"Kelly!" Gibbs exclaimed as he reached her, but he flashed a look around, where was Phoenix? Bodies were everywhere, but where was his son?

"Dad!" Kelly yelled, she would have thrown herself into him, but her hands were busy.

Gibbs instantly took hold of her, and took in Mike's condition, holy shit! was all he thought, he was an utter mess "you ok?" he asked her, she had blood all over her arms &amp; clothes, was it all from Mike or was she injured?

Kelly shook her head "he's dying, they took him dad, they took Phoenix" she cried into his shoulder.

Gibbs eyes went as wide as they've ever gone before, his son was taken? He looked to Tim who was yelling for EMT's but also casting worried glances his way "McGee, what the fuck happened &amp; where is my son?"

"Boss, I really have no idea, we came outside to find where he was, he was outside speaking with Stacey, Mike, Jonas &amp; Joyce were all with him. While we were looking for them, Jonas's A.I.D. went off, we came around to the carpark, but we were all the way on the other end, and Jonas &amp; Mike were both trying to get into one of the two SUV's that were down here. Both got shoved out &amp; shot, Mike was then run over. But he did manage to bring one of the men with him, Carter &amp; Sanderson apprehended him" Tim started to explain.

Gibbs flashed a look towards Sanderson, there was him &amp; 3 MP's now standing over a guy lying on the ground, his venom rose as high as it could go.

"Boss, I tried to get here as fast as possible, but the SUV's took off, there was no time to get a car, we're parked in the other carpark, boss I swear I tried…" Tim finished trying to show how much he tried to get down here as fast as possible. "Before he passed out Mike said they came out of nowhere &amp; there were too many of them, they did everything they could!"

Tony was in utter shock at not only the scene but what he was hearing, he could see the pain &amp; indeed how much his friend had tried to get there. He also considered that if Mike had said there were too many &amp; given how bad he looked there had to have been serious numbers that had been here. Looking at the guy it was clear he'd done everything to try to stop them taking Nix.

Gibbs was trying to take it all in, but he wasn't quite processing it all, all he knew was that his son had just been kidnapped &amp; given how bad Mike was looking there had to have been multiple kidnappers.

Brine reached the group huddled over Mike &amp; his eyes widened, what the fuck had happened to this guy!? "What's happened?" he asked, he got no answer "Jethro! What's happened?" he repeated

Tony saw Gibbs quite possibly in shock, he was clearly trying to process what he'd heard "Phoenix has been kidnapped, Mike tried to prevent it, got into what looks like a serious fight before he got thrown from an SUV, shot at &amp; then run over"

"I can't stop the bleeding, he's been convulsing, and he's lost consciousness" Tim added, he was really concerned about Gibbs reaction, thus far it had been nothing.

"Good g-d!" Brine exclaimed "Mitchel's, bandages, I.V.!"

Gibbs felt like it had all seeped into his brain finally, he wanted to curl up &amp; cry, he should have listened to his gut! He shouldn't have let his guard down! But there was no time for it "Kruse! Liaise with the LEO's and canvas the area, get all the street cam footage possible! See if there are any witnesses! Get some of the MP's to help!" he looked towards Sanderson "Sargent! Get MP's to my residence!" he shouted, he had a firm grip of his daughter, but whatever this was, he needed to get his wife &amp; dad under protection, he looked up to Tony "get Brunswick over there too"

Andrews had left Jonas in the MP's capable hands, along with Wu, he approached Gibbs "They're already on their way sir, Col Marks was having a 4 man detail en-route when the EMT's were leaving base"

Brine was working like crazy to secure the bandages &amp; stem the bleeding, he had Mitchell's next to him "is he allergic to anything?" he asked, again no response "Jethro! Kelly! Is Michael allergic to anything?" he didn't want to give him anything until he knew it was ok to proceed

Gibbs could see his girl was struggling &amp; he didn't need to be a mind-reader to know why, he cupped her chin "Kell, we gotta help Mike, is he allergic to anything?"

Kelly took a deep breath &amp; tried to concentrate "yes! shellfish &amp; soy products"

Brine nodded, neither would hamper his treatment "ok, that's good" he turned to Mitchel "get that IV in &amp; check his extremities" flashing a look around he needed to verify what else was going "Leonard! Sanchez! Report!" he yelled.

"One GSW to the shoulder, concussion, and possible broken leg &amp; arm sir! Almost ready for transport" Leonard reported working over Jonas.

"The Ensign has a broken arm &amp; concussion sir!" Sanchez reported "Byrne says that guy over there is dead!"

Brine didn't even realise there was another man, he took a breath "Alright, Leonard, get going as soon as you're ready! Tell them to use O.R. 2, Sanchez get her back to hospital but get an MP to drive you. Byrne get your butt over here!" he needed all the hands he could get, when his paramedic reached them he ordered "call hospital operations for me"

When the call went through Brine started "This is Commander Brine, I want O.R. rooms 1 thru 3 prep'd &amp; ready for immediate surgery, the trauma teams have 10 minutes to get there &amp; scrubbed up! All x-ray &amp; scan rooms are to be cleared &amp; ready for use, clear everything off the decks!" he instructed "I want as many litres of blood you can get for NCIS Agent Jonas Quinton &amp; Marine Captain Michael Bond…"

"He's AB negative" Kelly said interrupting him.

Brine looked up, crap! "Captain Bond is AB negative, find all you can! And check records for all staff find any that are the same &amp; get them to donate!" this was a rare type &amp; he knew the Captain would need a substantial amount of it.

Gibbs saw that Tony seemed to have organised the marines into some sort of security perimeter &amp; they were now working with the local LEO's for everything. He was taking charge of the scene, which he was glad for because he really couldn't think straight, holding his girl firmly in his grasp as he watch Brine try to get Mike ready for transport he just couldn't believe his son had been taken, how the hell would he tell his wife? As if on queue he heard his phone ring &amp; it was her, he took a deep breath trying to force the baseball size lump in his throat down.

"Jethro! What is going on!?" Shannon exclaimed, she was extremely worried

"Ah…" Gibbs tried to say something, but how the hell does he tell his wife their son had been kidnapped?

* * *

**A/N: Hmm.. just how will Gibbs tell Shannon? At least Nix was able to get some intel about the kidnappers to Ted over the phone! That will be very helpful! And Jonas got a number plate too! Glad though that Commander Brine was in the area, because its not really looking all that good for Mike :(**

**You know I love read your comments, so review away! More up soon!**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks, sorry for the delay! To my recent followers &amp; favourites, welcome aboard, so glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I can't believe we've reached 300+ reviews already! You guys rock! And I love reading your thoughts, so keep them coming!**

**Guest Reviewers**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks! yea, Mike's not good at all!**

**Momcat: Yea, the various small bits of information everyone got will definitely come in handy! Gibbs WILL find Nix, and butt kicking will happen, it'll just be a question of who does it. As for Tony's sister, we will meet her, I assure you.**

**Let's not delay any further, let's get right back into it! **

* * *

"Jethro! Jethro!" Shannon repeated, her worry was rising by the minute, what was going on? Even though Ian had shown up &amp; she could see 4 marines outside her house, all he'd said was you should call Jethro.

Gibbs closed his eyes trying to find the strength to tell her "someone's….. someone's taken Phoenix" he hated himself for having to tell his wife this.

"What?" Shannon exclaimed "What do you mean? What about Kelly?"

"Kelly's with me, she's safe, and I don't know who, but I promise you, we will find him &amp; whoever took him, will regret being born!" Gibbs replied, he'd rip the person limb from limb.

"He's not breathing!" Kelly exclaimed, she'd been watching his chest &amp; the shallow breathing had just stopped.

"Damn!" Brine cursed, he quickly checked for a pulse &amp; couldn't find one "Get me the paddles!" he yelled

"Who's not breathing? What's going on? Jethro!" Shannon yelled, this was just too much!

"Mike, Shan, he was with Nix &amp; the guy clearly tried everything to stop him being taken, Harm's here, he's doing what he can" Gibbs replied as he watched his friend give Mike a jolt, he prayed it worked!

Brine cursed, nothing, he went for a second go "clear!" he shocked him a second time, waited &amp; checked for a pulse, he finally took a breath thank the stars! "he's got a pulse! Alright, let's get him packed up, we've gotta move!"

"Shan" Gibbs said, he got nothing "Shan!" he called again

"She's here Jethro, but is a little overwhelmed, your father's with her. I've got 4 marines outside. What do you need?" Marks asked,

Gibbs took a breath "we're going to the base hospital, can you bring them there? Mike's really not good" while he wanted to get going on finding his son, he knew getting all the details, street camera footage and everything would take a bit of time &amp; while that was happening, they could be at the hospital. There was also a chance that either Jonas, Mike or Evans would come too &amp; be able to tell him what happened.

Marks cursed "of course, I will drive them over myself, with the marines. We'll meet you there"

"Ok, we're leaving in a few" Gibbs said "Ian.."

"Jethro, they'll be fine. I've already had the base put on high alert, I've doubled the guard on the entries, the hospital &amp; the NCIS building, no one unauthorised will gain access" Marks said interrupting him, it had been a hectic period, but once he'd gotten all the details from Andrews, he'd hastily made numerous calls to ensure the base was basically put on lockdown. He'd already spoken with Tristan too.

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief "thank you" he now needed to lay his own eyes upon his wife &amp; dad, he had to be sure they were safe &amp; the only way to do that was to have them with him.

"Alright, let's move him" Brine ordered

Gibbs stood himself &amp; Kelly up, as the pair helped the EMT's raise Mike on the stretcher, he looked around &amp; made a decision "Sargent!" he barked

"Sir?" Sanderson asked coming closer

"Get him back to NCIS now! SSA Donnelly will be waiting for him in interrogation" Gibbs ordered, pointing to the man under guard. He would definitely have a round with the man, but he'd get her to go first.

"Yes sir" Sanderson nodded &amp; headed off.

Gibbs continued to support his daughter as they went with Mike towards the ambulance "Kells, we'll meet them there, Harm will need all the room he can get in the back" he knew that with Harm, plus 3 EMT officers, there'd be no room for anyone else.

Kelly just looked at her friend, he now had a tube down his throat, he was looking horrible "he can't die" she cried, finally gripping her dad entirely.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her "he'll fight Kell, he's a marine, he won't take this lying down" he finished as he watched Jonas go past him on a stretcher into another ambulance, geez, he didn't look good either! There must have a hell of a lot of people that had attached them.

"Kelly" Brine said, once she was looking his way he continued "I refuse to loose him, I wont allow it, not on my watch. But your dad's right, we need the room, we'll meet you at the hospital" he wanted to keep soothing her, but he had to get going "let's go!" he said as he climbed into the back next to Mike.

Tim closed the back of the ambulance &amp; banged on it, signalling they could go. He turned back to see Kelly buried entirely into her dad's hold, he was beside himself with concern, for her, for Nix, even for Mike, he didn't know what to do with himself right at this moment.

Gibbs watched as the ambulances took off, he took a breath &amp; tried to keep calm "McGee! Go organise a marine escort, we're leaving for the hospital!" he wanted as much protection for his daughter as possible, he needed to get her back to safety of the base.

Gibbs turned "Wu!" he barked, seeing his SSA approach he saw how angry &amp; upset the man was "we'll find them Wu, that you can be guaranteed!"

"I'll rip them to shreds!" Wu spat, his SFA looked bad, really bad, though he looked better than Mike, that was the only consolation. He wanted to find the men that did this to his man, as well as took Nix.

"**_We_** will" Gibbs corrected "we're leaving for the hospital, you &amp; Kruse stay put, get everything Wu, every bit of evidence, every video feed, I want it all!"

"Will do boss, an ME team is on the way to process that body, we'll get everything, and we'll find him boss, we wont leave a leaf untouched, we'll work out who it was &amp; get Nix back" Wu said, he could see the fury in his boss's eyes.

Gibbs didn't know there was a body, but that was something, the team that had come to get his son were now 2 men down, that was good! He nodded to his agent &amp; turned "DiNozzo! We're leaving!" he barked, he wanted his team with him. Kruse, Wu, their teams, the marines &amp; the LEO's could handle the mop up, besides, he had funny feeling this was all interconnected &amp; thus wanted Tony with him, just in case. "Let's go angel" he whispered as he led her to the car "you're driving Tony, and carefully" he finished, he wouldn't let his girl go &amp; that meant sitting in the back seat. It also meant Tony had to drive carefully due to his girl's motion sickness, which he knew would only be compounded due to her emotional state.

"Will do boss" Tony nodded, he saw both Lt Carter &amp; Andrews had gone &amp; grabbed the vehicles they'd come in earlier &amp; each of them had 2 marines with them, clearly as the escort "Carter, you lead! Andrews on the rear! No gaps!" he ordered the pair, he turned to Shaz, who had Zuse right on her flank "your right behind us". He knew what Gibbs would expect and its what he wanted, they needed to get back to the safety of the base &amp; fast.

Tony &amp; company took off, he flashed a look to his side, Ziva was in the front, while Tim was in the back with Gibbs &amp; Kelly. He could see his friend was really struggling, but that he had a hand on Kelly's leg's, trying to help sooth her. He could scarcely imagine what was going through his head.

Gibbs felt his girl grip him tightly, clearly she was now letting out the emotions she'd been holding in "shh" he soothed

"Nix, what if they hurt him, like they did Mike?" " Kelly cried into her dad, she was now beyond worried about her brother.

Ziva shared a worried look with Tony, this was something they'd already discussed. If this was what had happened to Mike &amp; Jonas, and they were merely bystanders, not their target, what would befall Nix?

Gibbs tightened his grip on her, he wouldn't let that happen, he caressed her head &amp; lifted her chin so she was looking at him "I will find him Kelly, I promise you that, I wont let anything happen to your brother" he said trying to assure her, as well himself.

* * *

Shannon arrived at the hospital in a total state of disarray, she was beyond worried, she still didn't really know what happened, between what her husband &amp; Ian had said, it was just sounding too unbelievable. She was shaken from her thoughts when she saw the ambulances arrive &amp; Harm throw himself out of one of them.

Brine jumped out of the ambulance &amp; saw his all his trauma teams already waiting, thank the stars! "We need X-Rays, CT's, blood work up, the lot! For both of them" he ordered as both Mike &amp; Jonas were unloaded "Anderson! You've got Agent Jonas Quinton! Francis, you're with me with Captain Bond!" he ordered, he turned one of his junior level doctors "Mendelsohn you've got Evans, once she's stitched up, you're with us!" he knew she was by far the one that required the least amount of stitching up.

Shannon rushed towards Harm, she looked down at Mike "Oh my gosh! Mike!" she exclaimed, he looked horrible.

"Shan, we need to get him into the O.R, I need to get him X-Rayed &amp; scanned" Brine said gently, he needed to get a true assessment of the injuries.

"Will he be ok?" Shannon asked worriedly.

"He's lost a lot of blood, but we'll do what we can, we aren't going to give up on him" Brine answered.

Shannon nodded, but a thought came to her "Harm, he's AB negative!" it was a rare blood type.

"I know, we've got some in stock, and we're checking for any staff that are the same blood type, we'll track down as much as we can" Brine assured her "Shan, I've really got to get him inside"

Shannon leaned down &amp; kissed Mike's forehead "keep strong Michael, please fight!" she whispered to him.

Marks had been right by her side during the conversation &amp; the guy did not look good, he'd also cast his eyes across Jonas as he got rushed through, and he wasn't looking good either! But the last conversation had given him an idea &amp; dialled his phone, he needed to speak to Tristan again.

Tristan saw the caller ID &amp; got concerned "what now?" she asked worriedly

"You've got access to the personnel files for all person assigned to &amp; living on this base yes?" Marks asked, forgoing all pleasantries

"Yes, why? And where are you now?" Tristan asked, she'd already spoken with him twice, she'd spoken with Tony &amp; Kruse too, and none of the conversations were all that pleasant. She was already driving a push to get into local street cam footage to try to track the SUV's, and she was extremely concerned about Phoenix, she just didn't understand why someone would want to kidnap the boy?

"Base Hospital, I've brought Shannon &amp; Jackson, Gibbs is just arriving now" Marks replied seeing the convoy of vehicles pull up "but the reason I'm calling is that Captain Bond is seriously injured and lost a lot of blood, problem is, he's AB negative, that's rare. Can you get someone to comb the files for anyone with it? The hospital will need all it can get" he finished, he knew combing the hospital staff was one thing, but they had a much better chance of getting the blood needed by expanding to the entire base personnel.

"Of course, I will also check what Jonas's blood type is, and if it's a rare one, I will get donor's over for him too" Tristan replied, she hung up.

Tristan saw Donnelly on the phone, speaking hastily, obviously trying to get as much intel as possible before she headed down to Interrogation to speak with the man whom Captain Bond had managed to draw from the vehicle that had taken Phoenix. Things were going to get very messy and tricky, Fornell had agreed to brief her, Vella &amp; Donnelly on what he'd told Gibbs &amp; that was just adding to the confusion. However it also gave her a thought that whatever 'this' was, was linked with Tony and his sister.

She saw utter chaos below "Alice, I need Jonas's blood type" she said hastily to her assistant that was right next to her.

Alice did a quick search "O positive ma'am"

Tristan nodded it was a fairly common one, so they didn't need the donors as urgently, as she knew the hospital would have substantial supplies of it. Needing to get everyone's attention, she whistled "Listen up!" she exclaimed, once the floor went silent she continued "I need a show of hands if anyone has a blood type of AB negative &amp; is able to donate!?"

"Yes ma'am!" Yates replied raising his hand

"I have it as well ma'am" Alice remarked

Tristan nodded "Both of you get down to the hospital, tell them you're there to donate blood for Captain Bond, now!" she asserted.

"Yes ma'am" Yates replied "I'll grab a car Alice, meet you downstairs!"

Alice nodded to Yates "we'll donate &amp; be back as soon we can ma'am"

"Thank you Alice" Tristan nodded "Vella!" she called

"Ma'am?" Vella enquired

"Get one of your team to search all NSA Naples personnel files for anyone with AB negative blood, see if they can donate &amp; tell them to get to the hospital, the Captain is going to need a fair amount from what I know. Also, call the hospital &amp; ask them how their stock of O positive is, and if they need fresh supply, if they do find people &amp; get them down there for Jonas!" Tristan ordered

"Yes ma'am!" Vella replied &amp; headed off to arrange it, none of this was looking good.

* * *

Jack watched the boy get rushed through, he really didn't look good! And to say his worry for his grandson was extreme would probably be putting mildly, he was beyond worried. He then saw his son approach &amp; both he &amp; his granddaughter had blood on them! "Jethro! Jethro!" he called concerned.

Shannon heard Jack &amp; spun around instantly "Jethro! Kelly!" she shouted as she ran straight towards the pair.

Gibbs took instant hold of her, and they had Kelly nestled right in between them "Shan"

"Mum" Kelly cried into her

It took a few moments but Shannon finally lifted her head "what happened? Where is he?"

"Let's go inside" Gibbs said, he wanted to get his family inside "come on dad, inside" he would have instructed the marines to stand guard on the entry, but that was already being taken care of by Marks.

Gibbs sat them down in the corner, he had his girl nestled into him on one side, his wife had sat down next to him &amp; his dad put himself next to Kelly. Looking at his team, they were all now on their phones or speaking with various people, he looked to his wife, and the tears were swealing "I don't know what happened Shan"

"What do you mean?" Shannon asked, how could they not know?! She turned to her daughter "weren't you with him, what happened?"

"I was" Kelly cried "but we we…re in the cl….ub, Nix said he want….ed to call Sta….cey, so he went outside…" she started to cry out "Mike, Jonas &amp; Joyce we…nt with him, bu…t"

"but what?" Shannon asked, if those three had gone with her son, how'd he get taken? And how did they end up so injured?

"Take a breath angel, breath it out, slowly" Gibbs said quietly, they needed to hear it all, but she was crying &amp; hiccupping too much to understand a lot of it.

Kelly took a breath "When they didn't come back for half an hour, we went to find them, the food was getting cold and….. but when we got outside….. we couldn't see them anywhere…. Tim's phone then went off… and he got really concerned, not sure why"

"Jonas pressed his agent in distress alarm" Gibbs inserted.

Kelly just nodded "Tim then started running full speed around the back…. and we followed, Jimmy even grabbed a few other marines that had been down there…"

Tony had propped himself against a wall not too far from the family, he figured listening to Kelly's recollection would be useful, and he now realised why some of the marines were in civvies.

Kelly took another deep breath "There were 2 SUV's at the other end of the carpark… We saw… we saw" she tried to continue but just couldn't.

"Saw what?" Shannon prodded, part of her wanted to shake her daughter until she said it all, she was utterly beside herself.

Tim had finished a call just moments earlier &amp; could see Kelly was struggling, taking a very deep breath he headed for them &amp; sat down diagonally across from Shannon, which had him next to Jack "we saw Mike &amp; Jonas both struggling to get into one of the SUV's, they then.." he took a breath, trying to swallow the lump in his throat "they both got thrown from the vehicle and shot at"

Jack's eyes widened, that explained how the pair looked, but my gosh! That didn't sound good.

"Mike though…" Tim said, he took another breath "he… he got run over by the second SUV"

Shannon covered her mouth in shock.

"It all happened so fast, we had no time to do anything…" Tim said, he just didn't know what else to say.

"We tried to get there, we ran as fast as we could, but they just took off, we tried mum…" Kelly cried

Shannon let the tears roll down her face "oh darling!" she sighed as she took hold of her across her husband.

Gibbs just held the pair, part of him still wanted to curl up &amp; cry, the rest of him wanted to rip into something, he saw though Brine approach, already in hospital scrubs, he saw concern all over his face "Harm?" he croaked out.

Shannon looked up, the look Harm was giving wasn't good "Michael?"

Brine swallowed "it's not looking good, but he's actually regained consciousness, and…"

"That's good then?" Kelly asked interrupting him.

"Yes Kelly, that is, but I need to get him under the aesthetic to get his wounds sorted, so we're short on time" Brine answered, he really was short on time.

"Then what are you doing out here? Go back in!" Kelly cried, she couldn't loose him.

Gibbs rubbed a hand up and down her arm "Shh, angel"

Brine could understand the reaction, and he really had to get in "I will Kell, but he's refusing to let us put him under until he speaks to your dad" he looked at Gibbs "Jethro, I know you've got a lot on, but he wont budge, I need you to come now"

Gibbs looked at Brine wide eyed, but nodded "of course" he turned to his wife "be right back.."

"Dad, tell him…" Kelly started

"Kell, all I am going to tell him is that you want to talk to him when he's better, because he will get better" Gibbs interrupting her, as he caressed her cheek "stay with mum"

Harm led him through one door but pulled him up, taking hold by his arm "Jethro, I am not going to sugar-coat this, the prognosis isn't good. I don't think it's a good idea to…"

Gibbs saw the look in his eyes, damn! "ok" he whispered, interrupting him, he really didn't want him finishing the sentence.

Harm led the way into the outer room "do we have the scans yet?" he asked the nurses

"Just coming through" Betty answered

Gibbs looked at Mike, he was on stretcher &amp; had numerous lines &amp; what not running from his chest, arms &amp; head to various machines. The guy had seriously been through hell, and it was all because he tried to protect his son. Approaching him, he saw his eyes were closed, looking to one of the nurses "he conscious?"

"He…re" Mike coughed doing his best to open his eyes, and he saw Gibbs standing there "Tri….ed, s…i…r" he coughed.

"Take it easy" Gibbs remarked, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder &amp; settling him back down on the stretcher "I know you did Michael, you did all you could"

Mike tried to take a deep breath, but ended up in small coughing fit.

Nurse Betty came over "take it easy Captain"

Gibbs kept his hand on his shoulder trying to steady to guy "Settle down Mike"

Brine got concerned, he'd just looked at the CT &amp; X-Rays "we can't wait, get him under!"

"No, wait!" Mike coughed up, he had to tell Gibbs "That guy….. seen him before" he got out

Gibbs eye's widened "where Michael?"

"Aus…tin" Mike coughed, "speak.. speak to Marcus.. tell him…"

Gibbs saw the eyes flutter closed, he gently tapped him on the cheek "Mike….." nothing "Michael…" still nothing, "Marine!" he said giving him a hard tap.

Mike came back around &amp; looked at Gibbs, he wasn't sure..

"Tell Marcus what?" Gibbs prodded, he knew who Marcus was, his older brother.

"Dra..gon tat….too guy" Mike coughed "our father's retirement party.."

Gibbs gut churned again, dragon tattoo? That's what Nix had yelled! But if Mike knew him from Texas? Did that mean?… ohh, fuck! Mac! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

* * *

**A/N: Hmm… yes, well… could Mac be ****involved? Cause that would be you know…. bad!**

**Here's hoping that Mike pulls through… but when some of the others come around, what will they learn?**

**You know I love hearing your comments, so review away! More up soon!**


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my amazing reviewers, thank you so ****much, I love reading your comments! They keep me inspired!**

**Now, I know you're all a little concerned, but I want to assure you all about one fact - MacDonald Fielding IS DEAD \- so whatever is going on is well, mildly concerning.. everyone shall go on the same discovery adventure with the Gibbs clan, but that man is dead. **

**To my guest reviewers: Momcat: Mike was extremely brave, and his clue will both confuse and help the situation.**

**None: Kelly would defintiely be extremely distraught if something happened to Tim, given her reaction with Mike, you're definitley right. But what happens.. well, you'll just have to wait &amp; see**

**Ladyaloysius: I'd hate to kill you before this story finishes, lol Enjoy this chapter!**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you're loving this!**

**Let's get into it..**

* * *

Gibbs walked out into the waiting area, he saw his dad &amp; his girls still sitting in the corner, his team were all in the area &amp; on the phone, but Ziva had just hung up her latest call "Ziva" he called quietly motioning her over

"Gibbs?" Ziva enquired, she was really wondering how he hadn't exploded yet.

"I need you to find Mike's older brother Marcus, he's an Air Force Major, I need to speak to him urgently" Gibbs remarked

"I will find him Gibbs" Ziva nodded, she took a step away &amp; then realised she would have break the news to the man about Mike &amp; his condition.

Gibbs headed over to his family, sitting back down next to his wife, he gently stroked her back.

Shannon looked up "How is he Jethro?" she asked still keeping a hold of her girl.

Gibbs swallowed "Harm's got him under now, they've started to work on his injuries."

"How was he when you were in there?" Kelly asked trying to wipe away her tears.

"He's fighting Kell, he's fighting" Gibbs answered gently, he took a breath, he had to ask them "Mike said…"

"What Jethro? What did he want to tell you?" Shannon enquired.

Gibbs knew that once he told him them this, they'd come to same terribly worrying conclusion, but maybe they knew something about it too? He wanted to tell them something first though "I'll tell you, but first, I want you guys to know that Phoenix fought" he needed to tell them that he got something out to Ted.

"What do you mean Jethro?" Shannon asked, what was he talking about?

"He was on the phone with Stacey when they were attacked, she heard screaming so she took her phone straight to Ted, he heard Nix yell 'dragon left arm &amp; skull right neck' before the line cut out. He was trying to get information to us, he was fighting" Gibbs answered gently.

"Phoenix got information to Ted?" Shannon asked "why didn't you say that before? Why didn't you say that our son actually made contact during the mess? Don't you think I would have wanted to know that?!" she exclaimed, how could he not have mentioned that he'd heard something from their son earlier?

Gibbs let out a breath as he let her get it out, he understood her frustration "you're right Shan, I'm sorry" even though they hadn't really had a moment to spare to actually say it, he should have found a moment.

"Anything else you haven't remembered to tell me?" Shannon asked briskly standing up.

Gibbs stood &amp; caressed her cheek "Babe, I know you're worried beyond anything, I am too. We will find him, I will not let anything happen to him, not him, not you, not anyone, but we have to stay calm because what Mike just told me, is… I will be frank… extremely worrying. And there is something we need to talk about, something I found out right before Jonas's A.I.D. went off" he took a breath as he brought their heads together "take a breath babe, I'm right here, we'll get through this together"

Shannon took a deep breath as she stared into her man's eyes, while she was extremely worried, she felt his calming effect, she'd get through it because they were there together, they'd get through it together, she just nodded "ok"

Gibbs sat them back down, but he put himself between his girls, and brought them both into him, while he'd like to keep it as a family only thing, it wouldn't be useful that way, he needed "Tony, Tim" he called gently, once the pair looked his way he motioned them closer. He then considered something else "Marks!" he called, beckoning him over as well. Given it now looked like someone connect to Mac was involved, he needed to ensure Marks knew the score, given he was in charge of base security.

Gibbs waited for the trio to sit down near them "ok, Mike got a look at one of the kidnappers and…"

Tony could see the hesitation "was it the same guy that Nix identified, with the tat's?" he asked

"Yes it was, only…" Gibbs replied but hesitated.

"What is it Jethro?" Jack asked, there was concern written all over his face.

"Mike recognised him" Gibbs stated

"Mike recognised the guy that took Nix?" Kelly whispered.

"Yes" Gibbs answered "He said I needed to speak to Marcus, that the man that took Nix had a dragon tattoo, and something about their father's retirement party" he answered looking at his girl

"Who's Marcus?" Jack enquired

"Mike's older brother" Shannon answered "but what do you mean about the Admiral's retirement party, what about it?" she asked back

"Don't know, that's all Mike got out before Harm had to put him under" Gibbs answered "Do either of you know anything about that?"

"I didn't go, Nix had just had his tonsils out, so I stayed home with him" Shannon answered but she turned "Kells?"

"Umm.." Kelly thought "Don't remember anyone with a dragon or skull tattoo.." she then tried to remember the day as best as she could, and she did remember something "ahh, I do remember that Mike, Marcus &amp; Myles all disappeared for about 45 minutes, maybe an hour when we first got there &amp; when they got back, all three had changed out of their dress uniforms and were wearing their service uniforms. They said they had to help the wait staff move some kegs, and had gotten their uniforms dirty, hence the change. Seemed reasonable to me, so I let go"

"I take it Myles is another brother" Tony guessed.

"Yea, Myles is one of Mike's younger brothers, about 3 years younger than Mike, Marcus is 5 years older than Mike." Kelly explained

"And all three are military?" Marks enquired,

"Those three yes" Kelly confirmed "though at the time, Myles was in his senior year at his military academy school, he's now Army Special Forces, Marcus is a pilot with the Air Force" she concluded

"You know where he is?" Gibbs asked her

"He's attached to the Air Force Special Operations Command, think they're based out of Florida" Kelly answered

"Tim, message Ziva that" Gibbs motioned.

Shannon could see her husband was still mulling something over, there was obviously a piece she hadn't put together "Jethro?"

"Mike knew the guy from back then" Gibbs remarked "he then came here &amp; took Phoenix.. what if…"

Shannon watched his eyes as realisation dawned on her what he thought "you think Mac is involved? **_He's dead!_**" she'd seen his body, he was dead, there was no other way to put it, the man was dead!

Kelly looked at her father horrified "Mac?" she whispered, though logically speaking, if Mike had known the guy from back there and he was meddling, maybe…. But Mac was dead!

"Don't know how, but I think it's possible… Fornell said.." Gibbs started to say

"Fornell said what?" Shannon asked interrupting him, any thought that Mac was involved just seemed ludicrous to her!

Gibbs looked between his family "Fornell &amp; Michael Barnes dialled in, they had news that ties Tony's sisters mess with us"

"Jethro, did you just say that Tony's sister's situation is tied to us?" Jack asked, that really didn't seem right.

Gibbs began explaining "Fornell's forensic accountants uncovered that the regular payments that were coming to you Kells, weren't entirely coming from Mac"

"What do you mean? Who else would have sent them?" Kelly asked, she was really confused.

Shannon had to admit she was confused as well "What are you talking about Jethro, it was only MacDonald that was sending her money?"

"Actually, in the grand scheme, Mac only sent through 15-20% of the entire amount that reached your account Kell" Gibbs said

Kelly shared a look of utter confusion with her mum, what? "sorry?" they both remarked.

Gibbs explained what Fornell had told him about the bank account transfers.

Tim had to admit he was really taken by this, even though he didn't know what the amounts were, he knew they would have been substantial, the family didn't exactly shop at the cheaper end. Still this was sounding fairly weird, what was the connection with Tony &amp; how'd taking Nix fall into it?

"So someone else sent them the money, how does that tie into Tony's situation? And why would anyone else do that?" Shannon enquired, this talk of money had thrown her again, who else was there to send her kids money, she really didn't know what to think!

"I have no idea why, but they traced the funds to…." Gibbs said but took a breath first, he wasn't sure how they'd take it "to New Orleans… to a….. Laurance Alexander"

Kelly listened to her father &amp; it took her a moment to link it "wait… Laurance Alexander, as in…"

"The guy that adopted my sister" Tony supplied quietly.

Shannon looked at Tony, she honestly didn't know what to say "I'm utterly lost, why would that man….?" but she left the question open

"I'm right there with you Shan, I have no idea why the man would have done that, or anything about this, but we will work it out" Gibbs finished sounding as self-assured as possible.

"Ahh, boss" Brunswick called coming closer, she saw all the eyes suddenly turn to her "Ensign Evans has come around, and I took the liberty to speak to her" she remarked carefully.

Gibbs nodded "and?" he knew that the rest of his family would want to hear this, so he'd let her make her report right there with all of them present.

"well….." Brunswick swallowed, he was going to loose his lid! That was certain! "she said…"

"Just say it Brunswick!" Gibbs asserted, he could see her hesitation though, whatever it is, he wasn't going to like.

"She said that when they got outside, one of Nix's teammates had said he'd just gotten some new boots fresh off the Nike assembly line, and had a pair for him, but he needed to try them on. Said they were in his car, so they all went around the back" Brunswick started to explain, she took half a step back, unsure about the reaction "when they got around to the car park, he said he'd forgotten that he'd left his keys with a friend &amp; would be back in a few minutes"

Gibbs flared his nostrils, did a teammate set him up?

Tony &amp; Tim shared a look of shock &amp; concern, a teammate? Whoever this was, was going to get his arse kicked!

Brunswick took another deep breath "She said that not 5 minutes later, they were suddenly surrounded, by at least 10 men. She said that they'd all reacted instantly, and said it was clear pretty quickly who their target was."

Shannon didn't really like the sound of this, at all!

"She said that Captain Bond had tried to get Phoenix away, they all did, but there were just too many of them" Brunswick hesitated, Gibbs hadn't lost his load yet, which she'd thought he would have done, but she wasn't sure how they'd all take this next part "she sad though after a short while Captain Bond.."

"Captain Bond what?" Tim prodded, she looked really hesitant.

"He'd somehow gotten Phoenix out of the mess with Evans, they were clear…..but" Brunswick would have continued but got interrupted

"If Nix made it out of there? How'd…" Tony wondered quietly.

Kelly's eyes widened "he wouldn't leave Mike, would he?" she paled

Brunswick shook her head "no he wouldn't, Evans said she tried her best to get him clear, Jonas &amp; Captain Bond had somehow managed to keep the group at bay, while she pulled Phoenix a good distance away. However, he refused to leave when he could see clear as day that Jonas, but especially Captain Bond were knee deep in a fight that she said, could have turned deadly. She said he didn't even say anything, he just rushed straight back in"

Marks had to admit, that was very brave of Phoenix because from the way Captain Bond &amp; Agent Quinton looked &amp; everything he'd heard it had turned deadly "did Evans know anything about the man that was dead?"

"No sir, she said the attack started on the grassed area, where the body was found, but she said the fight quickly moved towards the car park. The last thing she remembers was being with Phoenix back on the grassed area, but followed him quickly back towards the car-park, only to be attacked from behind, she said she felt her arm break instantly, then nothing until she came around just now" Brunswick answered.

Gibbs took a deep breath, on the one hand he wished his son would have just kept running, but on the other hand he was proud that his son hadn't left the others &amp; had tried to help them. He shared a sad smile with his wife, he just couldn't find any words as they rested their heads against each other.

Shannon knew that her husband felt like she did, proud that her son had refused to leave the others in the midst of the fight but also wishing he had kept running, she rested her head against her husbands as a tear ran down her cheek.

Gibbs wiped the tear away "Our boy's a fighter, we'll find him, I promise you, we'll get him back" he whispered, he just prayed that they found him before anything happened to him.

Shannon nodded, just praying he was right.

Jack had an arm around his granddaughter, and she was nestled into his side, she was clearly not coping. He understood it, he didn't like anything he was hearing &amp; his concern for his grandson was rising by the minute. "Do you know who the teammate was?" he asked, deciding he needed to focus on anything baring his worry.

"Vincenzo De Luca, I've already spoken with Kruse, he's got an agent on the hunt for him as we speak" Brunswick supplied.

"That was the guy that was on the bench today" Tim noted quietly "he's a striker too, isn't he?" he finished looking at Kelly, whom he'd just made eye contact with.

"Think so" Kelly agreed quietly.

Tim nodded, but he left his gaze on Kelly, she really wasn't coping at all. He knew how close the pair were, you'd find no siblings with a tighter bond that these too, so she was clearly worried beyond anything.

Gibbs took a few deep breaths, he had to shove some of his emotions down &amp; deal with the situation "the boys will be in surgery for a while, we should head back to NCIS" he was glad that he had a change of clothes in the office for not just himself, but his whole family, and Kelly definitely needed to change as well, as did Tim.

"I want to be here when he wakes up" Kelly whispered.

"I'll make sure they keep us in the loop angel, as soon as he &amp; Jonas are awake, we'll get back down here, ok?" Gibbs said quietly as he rubbed her back. He could see just how torn up she was, and that alone was killing him.

"Darling, Mike will fight as hard as he can" Shannon soothed, she knew just how close the pair were "Mike never gave an inch to Mac or Quinn or any of those men did he?"

Kelly looked at her mum &amp; shook her head, he certainly gave them no leeway.

"And do you really think Mike will let anyone connected to them beat him?" Shannon asked gently. While she still thought it was ludicrous that it was connected with Mac, she had to say something to get her daughter's spirits up as much as she could "because I don't, Mike wouldn't let anyone connected to them beat him, he never did &amp; never would"

Kelly just nodded, her mum was right, but still his heart had stopped beating, there's only so much someone can fight when they're **_that_** bad. She prayed her friend would fight, she couldn't lose him, not now when she had no clue as to her brother's condition or whereabouts, and it was just too much.

Gibbs stood, if they didn't stand up now, they would just stay seated &amp; everyone seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move "let's go" he said softly.

"I'll get you an escort organised, will check in with Sgt Morrison down at the pier &amp; then head over to join you" Marks confirmed before he headed for exit.

Gibbs nodded at Marks before turning "Brunswick make sure they keep us in the loop with the surgeries, there's no point anyone hanging around here just waiting, they'll be a while. Just have one Agent remain &amp; take Ensign Evans formal statement when she's ready"

"Yes boss" Brunswick replied &amp; headed off to arrange it.

As Gibbs led his family towards the exit he was met by Alice &amp; Agent Yates "Alice? Yates? What are you doing here?" he asked surprised, she was definitely needed at HQ.

Alice took in her boss, he only had a small amount of blood, but Kelly &amp; Tim had a lot of it, they really didn't look good. She swallowed a breath before answering "we're both AB Negative boss, so we're here to donate blood for Captain Bond. Vella is having the NSA Naples personnel records combed for anyone else that is the same type too &amp; getting them to head down"

"Thank you Alice, Christopher, we appreciate it" Shannon said softly, she was so grateful that someone had thought to look for blood donors.

"Not a problem ma'am" Yates replied "we'll donate what we can &amp; be back at HQ as soon as possible boss"

"Do that Yates, and you don't leave Alice alone, am I clear?" Gibbs finished eyeing his man. He had no clue what was going on &amp; didn't want Alice exposed. As far as he was concerned NCIS EUFO wouldn't function without her, people thought he &amp; Tristan ran the place, but he knew just how much of that she actually did.

"Yes boss, not for a second" Yates agreed. Though the amount of MP's currently patrolling not just the hospital, and NCIS HQ but the base, it would be nuts for anyone to try anything. He would however ensure Alice was with him the entire time &amp; they actually had a marine driving them, given neither would be able to drive back to HQ once they'd donated.

As Tony cleared the exit he saw that both Lt Carter &amp; Lt Andrews had changed &amp; were back in their marine uniforms, and each had 2 MP's with them, they were clearly going to be providing the escort "Carter, you lead, Andrews at the rear!" he ordered.

"Yes sir!" the pair responded.

Gibbs saw the cars that were waiting for them, there were the 2 marine hummers, and 2 sedans, and he made a quick decision "Tony, you take, Ziva, Silva &amp; Zuse, behind me. McGee, you're with us"

Tony nodded, he had a feeling Gibbs would want his whole family with him "will do boss"

"Dad, you sit in the front. Tim, take the seat behind him" Gibbs said more softly, with only him &amp; Tim in the car, he wanted them both strategically placed on each side of the vehicle. He also knew that even though Kelly should have sat in the front, she'd prefer to be able to sit with her mum, she'd barely let go of either of them. He also knew his wife would want to hold their girl close to her.

Tim nodded in understanding &amp; climbed in, as Kelly sat herself down next to him he helped her with her belt &amp; moved to interlock their fingers, he just squeezed. He knew she'd be seeking comfort from her parents, but he didn't want her to forget that he was also here for her, he felt a small squeeze back &amp; was glad for it. He couldn't believe that Nix had been kidnapped, but he would do anything to get him back, he'd do anything to make sure nothing happened to Kelly. He just didn't know what to think about the supposed connection with Mac, or how it tied into Tony's sister's situation, or why the man that had adopted her had sent money to Kelly &amp; Nix. Things seemed rather complicated &amp; generally when things got complicated, they got dangerous. He'd need to keep his wits about him, because something gave him the feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better.

* * *

**A/N: Well, looks like everyone is just as confused as each other about all the various connections in this mess, but ****it seems that something may have gone done back in Austin, but what exactly happened? What exactly will Gibbs &amp; co learn from Marcus? **

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome! I'm so glad to have you with us on this continuing adventure! To my reviewers, thank you so much, i always love hearing your thoughts/comments, please keep them coming, they inspire me! Sorry I wasn't able to respond to you this time, but I'm super busy &amp; just want to get this chapter posted!**

**Speaking of which, let's get right into it! **

* * *

"Agent Dodd, something I can do for you?" Tristan asked, what was she doing waiting in her outer office?

"No ma'am" Dodd shook her head "I've been asked to wait for the boss's &amp; Kelly's clothes to take over to the labs, I've got Agent McGee's already. Agent DiNozzo thinks some trace evidence could have been transferred whilst they were helping Captain Bond with his wounds ma'am" she reported.

Tristan nodded "good thinking, but do not go alone, remember my instructions, no agent is to leave this building alone" she had already had a number of discussions with Col Marks &amp; Director Vance &amp; she'd asserted that she wanted no one, not one agent to be in the open &amp; alone.

"Of course ma'am, there's an MP waiting for me downstairs" Dodd nodded.

Tristan nodded, she was about to head into her office when Gibbs came out of his. She'd seen them come in a short while ago, none of them had spoken a word, and the family had simply walked into his office. She was completely taken by the amount of blood on McGee &amp; Kelly. Gibbs had a small amount, but those two, my gosh, Captain Bond must not be good &amp; apparently Lt Andrews civilian clothes were similar to theirs, so her worry for Jonas had risen 10 fold.

Gibbs saw Tristan, he knew she'd want a word but he looked to Dodd "get these to the labs, now!" he barked, shoving 2 now full evidence bags at her. He hoped they could get something useful from it.

Tristan waited until Dodd had left before asking quietly "How are you all doing Jethro?" she wasn't sure how she'd cope if one her kids had been kidnapped in a scene like Nix had been.

Gibbs let out a sighed breath "not coping, do we have anything yet?" he really couldn't speak about it, he'd either break down or bring fury the size of Pompeii down on the ones around him.

"Kruse has sent Agents Dyson &amp; Aymond back with what they've collected so far, they'll drop off the various camera feeds before taking the rest over to the labs. I've instructed the labs to clear the decks, nothing will take priority over this &amp; they're bringing in all shifts to process it all as quickly as possible" Tristan answered.

"Kruse found that punk kid yet?" Gibbs asked

"Not yet, but we've just gotten his cell details &amp; are going to track him." Tristan replied, she took a breath before continuing "we'll get him Jethro &amp; we'll find Phoenix. Every agent that was on rotation for a rest has already reported in, they've all cancelled all of the various weekend activates, every single one of our agents has already stated they are here until Phoenix comes home"

Gibbs nodded his appreciation, he'd seen all his various agents give him a nod when they'd come in &amp; had noticed that everyone that was in country was already in the building, but "has Marks locked the base down? I don't want anyone else getting caught up in this mess, we need to keep **_everyone_** safe." As much as he wanted to solely focus on the safety of his family, as part of the Senior Management Team for NSA Naples, he had a duty to ensure everyone on base was equally protected.

"Yes, we've locked the base down, no one's allowed in or out &amp; everyone that's out, is being contacted &amp; brought back in securely. Marks has doubled the guard on all entry/exit points, this building &amp; the hospital. He's also sent extra MP's to help patrol our off-base community too" Tristan replied, this had been one of the first things herself &amp; Col Marks had initiated.

"Good" Gibbs remarked as he saw Ziva enter the room.

"Gibbs, Major Bond will on in MTAC in 5 minutes" Ziva reported, she was glad she'd been able to find him so quickly.

Gibbs nodded, he was surprised but grateful that she'd gotten this so quickly "I'll be there in a minute, grab DiNozzo &amp; McGee for it too"

Tristan saw Gibbs return to his office &amp; turned to Ziva "Major Bond? I take it is a relation of Captain Bond?"

"Major Marcus Bond, is Captain Michael Bond's older brother" Ziva answered "The Captain was able to get a message to Gibbs, and that included the tattooed man that Phoenix had also mentioned, but also to speak with his brother about their father's retirement party." Ziva saw concern on the lady's face, but there was more "Gibbs has a gut feeling that MacDonald Fielding may be involved somehow, given the Captain said he remembered the tattoo man from back in Texas"

Tristan's eyes widened in utter shock "the man's dead Agent David!"

"Yes ma'am he is" Ziva agreed, she knew that, she'd seen his body! He was definitely dead!

Tristan didn't even know what to say! "Let's get to MTAC"

* * *

Gibbs returned to his office to see his girls sitting on one of his couches, his angel had wrapped herself completely into her mother, this was breaking his heart. He saw his dad was sitting on the couch next to them, he seemed to staring off into space, he was concerned about him too, he'd barely uttered a word. Taking a seat on the couch next to his girls, he put his arm around his wife &amp; rested his hand on his girl's head "we're safe here, nothing will happen to you, not going to let anything happen to you"

Gibbs saw his wife lift her head to him, he knew what she was thinking "I'm going to find our son Shan, I won't sleep until we find him &amp; he's home with us. I'm not going to accept not finding him, nothing will happen to him &amp; the person who took him will regret being born!" he took a breath as rubbed a soothing hand up &amp; down her arm "Ziva's found Marcus, he's coming online into MTAC any minute. I'll talk to him, why don't you stay here"

Shannon was surprised at how fast Ziva had tracked him down, part of her wanted to go see Marcus &amp; hear what he had to say. The rest of her just wanted to stay put with her girl, she had been completely mute since the hospital. Add that to the issue that she hadn't seen Marcus since Texas, and before her apparent death &amp; him seeing her over a video feed may be strange, she agreed that it was probably best they stayed put "ok, be quick"

"I will" Gibbs promised "Agent Lambert is currently at Alice's desk, you guys need anything, just ask her"

Kelly wanted to go see Marcus, but she didn't think she'd have the strength to see him right now, she just wanted to wake up from this nightmare, she curled further into her mother's hold, wanting just to hide.

Gibbs gave his wife a kiss &amp; leaned down to give his girl one too, he laid it softly on her head "I'm here my angel, nothing will happen to you &amp; I will find your brother, I promise you that"

* * *

"Have you told Major Bond about his brother's condition?" Tristan asked Ziva as they, as well as Tony &amp; Tim entered MTAC.

"I said he was seriously assaulted whilst trying to protect Phoenix &amp; was undergoing surgery currently. It was at that point I asked for a video conference &amp; he said he'd be online within minutes ma'am" Ziva answered. Major Bond had all but ended to call within 30 seconds of them agreeing to video conference.

Tristan nodded but turned to Tim "Agent McGee, how are you?" he looked off, they all looked off, but he was looking more so.

"I'm ok thank you ma'am" Tim answered "it's just been a lot to take in, we've got a lot to do" what he wouldn't say though was that he was nervous to meet Mike's brother. He didn't know that Mike's family was all-military, what would he think of him &amp; his attempt to help his brother? What would he think of him given he was now dating Kelly? He also just wanted to get on with it &amp; get this intel to figure out what was going on.

"Do we have Major Bond yet Brian?" Tristan asked as she saw Gibbs enter the room.

"Just coming through ma'am" Brian answered as he moved the feed to the main screen.

Gibbs saw the feed come to life &amp; in front of him stood a Michael Bond clone, except this man was in a Air Force utility uniform &amp; not marine one "Major Bond, I'm Kelly's father, Jethro Gibbs" he introduced himself, figuring this was a much better way to do it, than his official NCIS title.

Marcus swallowed, these were not the circumstances he imagined meeting the man "Honoured to meet you sir, Major Marcus Bond."

Gibbs was about to say something when he heard a yell through the feed.

"Major! He's here!" came a call

Ziva saw the Major shift his focus.

"One minute sir" Marcus requested and moved off screen, his eyes narrowed on his target "Myles!" he yelled "over here!"

Tony shared a look of surprise with Tim, Myles? Was Mike's other brother there to, wherever they were? It looked like some kind of airplane hanger.

Gibbs only had to wait another minute before he saw Marcus return, but he wasn't alone, standing next to him was well, Myles Bond. He knew that not because it was what Marcus had yelled, but he was staring at another clone, did all these Bond boys look alike? This one though was in an army utility uniform &amp; had camouflage paint all over his face. But even with that, he could see he was the spitting image of his brothers, they all shared the same body type &amp; facial features.

"Sir, this is my brother, Lt Myles Bond" Marcus said introducing the pair.

"Sir, honoured to meet you" Myles greeted trying to catch his breath.

"Lieutenant" Gibbs nodded, on any other day he would taken this slower &amp; he was about to speak but got beaten to the punch.

"Agent David said something about our brother being injured while trying to protect Phoenix, is he ok? What happened?" Marcus asked concerned. Out of all 3 of them, Mike was the one least likely to have been injured, it was always Myles he had to worry about.

Gibbs could see both men were concerned "he's undergoing surgery as we speak, the doctors are doing everything they can, but I won't lie, he's pretty banged up"

"What happened?" Myles asked "last we knew Mike was headed out to some new flash bar after Nix's game"

Ziva shared a look with Tony, seemed these brothers kept in contact, very regular contact.

Marcus saw that Gibbs was surprised "Mike was texting with us during the game, we'd tried to get leave to come down for it, but couldn't. The last text he sent was that Nix had gotten them on the list of some flash new club &amp; that were going to check it out"

"Actually…." Myles contradicted.

"Actually what?" Gibbs prodded

"I got one text from Mike while they were at the club" Myles said a little unsure.

"What did it say?" Gibbs asked hastily

Tim saw the brothers share a look before the reply came.

Myles took a breath before answering "He said that Nix had well… received some interesting attention &amp; that…. his head would require…"

"Deflation" Tim whispered, now knowing what incident the pair were speaking about.

Gibbs shot him look "what?"

Tim hesitated "ahh.. while Nix was organising the food with Mike they got stopped by a few girls, who… wanted his autograph"

Tony's eyes widened, seriously?

Myles &amp; Marcus shared a look, this guy knew about that text, meant that he had have been there "you're McGee?" Myles guessed, now sizing the guy up.

"Yea I am" Tim answered, standing as tall as possible.

Gibbs was stunned, really? He shook his head, he didn't time for this! "Did he say anything else?"

"That's it sir" Myles answered "what happened? Is Nix ok?"

"Mike had gone outside with Nix &amp; 2 others, one was an NCIS agent, the other was a Naval Officer. They were ambushed"

Tristan saw the pair stiffen at that, she wondered how they'd go hearing the rest.

Gibbs continued "they got lured around to a quiet car park &amp; we believe around 10 assailants came at them hard &amp; fast. They…."

Tony saw Gibbs had stopped, he realised this would hard for him, he stepped forward "Agent DiNozzo here." He said by way of introduction before continuing "the group had a clear target, Phoenix. Your brother, along with Agent Jonas Quinton &amp; Ensign Evans all tried to get the men off Phoenix &amp; him away, but there were just too many"

Marcus paled "why would anyone want to take Phoenix?"

"That we don't know" Tony admitted

Tim knew he needed to say something "Mike, your brother, he didn't let them take Phoenix without a fight, he…"

"Wait!" Myles interrupted "They got him?" he was utterly stunned, and angry!

"Not without a fight, myself and 2 marine LT's had been with Kelly. Agent Quinton's A.I.D. went off &amp; we went racing for their location, we saw…" Tim started to hesitate

"Saw what?" Marcus prodded, he saw that he wouldn't like the answer "just say it please"

"Your brother &amp; Agent Quinton were both trying to get into an SUV at the far end of car park, both got thrown out, and shot at. Your brother though managed to pull one of the assailants with him" Tim said, wanting to tell them that he'd done good "that guy we've got in custody, only…"

Myles had paled considerable, this wasn't sounding good "only what?" he asked quietly.

"There was a second SUV &amp; it ran your brother over as they fled" Tim finally answered

Tristan saw the pair pale even further "Deputy Assistant Director Tristan here, I want to assure you both, our doctors will do everything they can for him"

Marcus closed his eyes for a moment, pushing his worry to one side and try to stay focused on what he has to "my brother, he's got a rare blood type.."

"We've already got donors donating what they can &amp; we're looking though our base records for anyone else who is the same type, we'll make sure he has enough supply" Tristan assured the pair.

"Do you know why they took him?" Myles asked, like his brother he was trying to push his worry for his brother's well being to one side and focus on the problem he could help with.

"No, but you might be able to help with that" Gibbs supplied

Marcus &amp; Myles shared a confused look "Sir?"

"Your brother was pretty bad, but he'd come around for a few minutes when we got them to the hospital, and he managed to give me a message about the men" Gibbs said.

"What message sir?" Marcus asked, he didn't like the sound of how bad his brother was, but a message?

"He recognised one of the men that had attacked them, and it matches a message that Phoenix got to us, he was on the phone to a good friend when they were attacked &amp; got a semi description of one of the men. That matches what Mike said" Gibbs said, he took a breath "Mike said to speak with you about your father's retirement party, something about a guy with a dragon tattoo"

Tony watched, it only took a second.

Myles fury rose, he turned to the chair that was nearby &amp; kicked it away in utter fury "Fuck!" he vented. Turning back to his brother "he's dead! I swear…"

Ziva's eyes widened, he looked utterly furious and to see the expression on a man in full military fatigues &amp; camouflage paint, she had to admit was very intimidating.

"Calm down Myles" Marcus said as calmly as possible, though he felt the exact same way.

Gibbs did not like this development at all! "Hey! What do you two know?!" he all but demanded.

Marcus knew he was calmer than his brother "the day of our father's retirement party Mike had collected Kelly &amp; driven them both over to Austin, to our grandparents farm for the reception. When they arrived I could tell he looked edgy, he left Kelly with some of our cousins before grabbing the pair of us &amp; heading back outside"

Tim gave himself a small smile, Kelly had picked up on the very thing that had happened, what she'd seen of it at least.

"When we got outside Mike had told us that they'd been followed, all the way from Mac's place" Marcus explained "Mike knew that Kelly always hated it when he sent men to follow them, so Mike hadn't told her about their tail, it was supposed to be a good day &amp; he didn't want to ruin it for her"

Gibbs tried to stay calm, but he always hated hearing this stuff, not to mention the fact that Mac did this kind of stuff to his daughter &amp; family.

"The issue was though, they were still there, sitting in their SUV just outside of gate to our grandparents farm, so the 3 of us went to ask them to leave, it was private property" Marcus explained

'Quinn?" Gibbs guessed

"No sir" Myles answered "but Michael Barnet &amp; Dan Acron were both there, arseholes!" he finished with a spat.

Tristan's eyes widened in surprise at that last comment, even Captain Bond's brother knew these men?

"Who was the third guy then?" Gibbs asked, though he knew both of those men, and his gut wasn't all that happy about it.

Marcus looked to his brother to answer, but he conveyed a look of 'calmly!'

Myles took a deep breath "That's the thing sir, I'd never seen him before, neither had Mike."

"What about you Major?" Tony asked Marcus

"No, but I will be honest, I didn't have that much contact with Mac or his men. I was already deployed &amp; only got back into town a few times a year. So I didn't have the same amount of contact as my brothers did, though I did have the unfortunate pleasure of having to meet the two main bastards" Marcus finished with his own spat.

Tony saw the same venom in his face that Myles had previously shown, and he guessed that the two men he was referring to were Mac &amp; Quinn.

"The third guy, is who Mike was referring to, he was around 6", black hair, brown eyes, with a dragon tattoo on his lower left arm &amp; a skull tattoo on the right side of his neck" Marcus explained

"Mike told Acron &amp; Barnet that they had to leave, given they were on private property" Myles started to explain "but it was that guy that had replied, saying they didn't care about private property &amp; weren't going anywhere"

Tony could only wonder what Mike's reaction to that would have been, not a good one that was for sure.

"That's when we gave the guy our full attention, Mike asked who he was &amp; what business was it for him to stick his nose in our lives" Myles said, he took a breath "the guy well….."

"Didn't appreciate that" Gibbs guessed.

"Not in the slightest sir" Myles agreed "he said it was his business because he got asked to be in town for a short while, while Quinn was away, said he was here as a favour"

"A favour for who?" Gibbs asked

"Not sure sir, but not Mac, we asked if he worked for the man &amp; he said no" Myles answered

"He could have been lying" Tim suggested

"He could have" Marcus agreed "but it was the way he said it, he did not work for **_MacDonald Fielding_**, he was very specific about that &amp; I believed him, we all did" he finished, getting a nod from his brother.

"If he did he would have simply said, I'm here under orders. That's what their excuses always were whenever they followed Kelly" Myles answered

Tim saw how upset the guy was, he'd clearly been with Kelly numerous times.

"What happened after that?" Gibbs asked, he knew there was more

"Well, when they refused to leave, Mike… we…" Myles started to say but stopped

Marcus decided to take over "let's just say we tried to enforce the private property aspect"

Tristan looked at the pair, even back then she'd imagined they would have been imposing &amp; add Michael to the mix, and they were certainly a formative trio.

"That's why you three had to change into your service uniforms, you got into a fight" Tim surmised, but he saw surprise "Kelly recalled you three disappearing for a while &amp; returning in different uniforms"

Marcus nodded "yea well, things got heated for a little while, Mike &amp; that guy traded a fair few blows, we ended up in a few exchanges as we tried to pull them apart"

"How'd it finish?" Gibbs asked

"Opportune moment really, one of our grandfather's friends was the last guest to arrive, he was a Texas Ranger &amp; arrived with his sons who were Texas Rangers we well. They separated us &amp; told them they had to leave the area, given it was private property" Marcus answered

"They didn't arrest them?" Tim asked, why the hell would Texas Rangers not arrest those men for unlawful entry onto private property, amongst other things.

Ziva saw the brothers share another look, she wondered what that was about.

"They wanted to, but" Marcus said before stopping

"Mike wouldn't let them" Myles finally remarked

"Why not?" Tim asked suddenly, why the hell wouldn't want that?

Gibbs let out a breath, he knew this one "Mac, ….. it's ok McGee, I understand why not"

Myles &amp; Marcus both nodded, glad they didn't have to explain that one.

Tony though shared a look with Ziva &amp; Tim, he certainly didn't understand.

Gibbs knew he had to say something to his team "Mac would have retaliated if Mike had them arrested, and it would have just made things worse, for everyone." He'd managed to grab a moment with Mike &amp; they'd spoken about a few things, including Mike's desire to have done something about the situation back then, but each time he'd tried, Mac had retaliated, and that was never a good thing. He took a breath "you remember anything about that guy, was a name mentioned or anything?"

"He had a Scottish accent, it was pretty thick" Marcus remarked

Myles continued "Acron used the term 'Loch' in speaking to him once. It might be a name, but it could also just be a codew…"

"Loch Lancert!" Tim interrupted "that's the name of the guy that was emailing with Withers!"

Gibbs, along with everyone in MTAC shifted their focus to Tim, and were staring at him wide eyed, shit, this was all interconnected!

* * *

**A/N: Hmm… things do seem to be interconnected indeed! This Loch guy seems to be knee deep in it! And if he is the guy from Austin, he is connected in someway to Mac, but how? Mike's brother though will helped, can they do more? **

**My mind is wandering down to interrogation &amp; how Donnelly is going with that guy Mike pulled from the SUV.. wonder how that is going?**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!**


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, here's a new chapter! To my recent follower/favourites, welcome so glad to have you with us on this continuing adventure! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I really love and ****appreciate reading all your comments, they keep inspired, so keep them coming!**

**Guest Reviewer: Sue Dooley: Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!**

**Momcat: I assure you, Mac &amp; Quinn are DEAD, deader than dead! Who these people are? You'll just have to wait &amp; see. **

**Now, let's see where things are at! **

* * *

"Who's Withers?" Marcus asked, the look on all their faces was worrying to say to the least!

"Long story, but he's connected to this mess" Tim answered

Tristan saw the brothers exchange another look, she could see their minds spinning a great deal, she certainly understood it.

"Sir, if you can get our teams clearance for emergency leave from our joint training exercises &amp; me landing clearance, we can be with you in 2 hours. We'd like to be there for Mike &amp; we're happy to help with anything we can" Marcus suggested.

Gibbs was confused "where exactly are you two?" he thought they were in Florida

"Frankfurt sir" Marcus answered "We're both here for a few joint training exercises with some NATO teams"

Tony now realised why the pair had said they'd tried to get down for Nix's game.

"How quickly can you be wheels up?" Gibbs asked. To have these guys with them, given both of them have come face to face with this Loch guy, was definitely needed.

"My team is prepping my bird as we speak, so only have to wait for Myles's team to be ready for departure" Marcus answered, knowing full well his brother would bring his team with him, like he'd be doing.

Ziva saw that a group of men, maybe 5 of them had instantly taken off in a sprint behind the brothers. They were all kitted out in a similar manner to Myles.

"Be ready to leave in 10 sir" Myles remarked before taking off after his men "move!" he barked out.

"You'll have your clearance before they're even ready to go" Tristan remarked. She then headed straight for the exit to make it happen. Between herself, Col Marks &amp; Lt Col Morris, who'd just shown up before she went into MTAC to check on the situation with his Captain, she was certain they'd be able to obtain the clearances required.

"Thank you ma'am" Marcus replied, he shifted his focus back to Gibbs "we'll get to Naples as quickly as we can, check on Mike &amp; then be with you sir"

"Get here safely Major, no risks &amp; watch your six, if this Loch guy is involved, he knows you two. We'll have a detail waiting for you when you land" Gibbs remarked, these boys could quite possibly be targets themselves, and he had to make sure they were on their toes.

"Will do sir" Marcus nodded.

* * *

Donnelly was standing against the wall of the interrogation room as she looked at the man, he definitely had an arrogant streak, but he was also banged up. Her guess, he sustained some of his cuts &amp; bruises from the fight first of all, as well as his tumble out the car, thanks to Captain Bond and lastly from when Lt Carter had apprehended him. She had to smile at cuts &amp; bruises he sustained at the hands of both Bond &amp; Carter, glad that they were able to give him a dose of some of what he'd dished out. What she would have given to be able to help with those wounds.

"Where'd they take him!?" she demanded

"No idea love" the man replied

"Doubtful, you were clearly one of the main men involved, I'm sure you were important enough to know where you were headed" Donnelly retorted, trying to stroke his ego.

"Well, I was entrusted with special duties" he answered

"And what exactly were those duties?" Donnelly asked

"To ensure mission objectives were achieved &amp; I did that" came the sneered reply

Hollis watched through the one-way mirror, she was aghast at what had happened, she'd quietly watched from a corner of the squad room as Jethro &amp; his family arrived &amp; she was struck by the look on his face. It was mix of utter fury &amp; depression, she'd seen him furious most definitely, she'd seen him upset, but she'd never seen him depressed and it was that emotion mixed into the fury that shocked her the most.

She thought the best thing she could do would be lend a hand with interrogating this man, and right now she was trying to size him up, She wasn't alone in the observation room, SSA Vella was also there, and watching Donnelly work the room, she was using some good techniques, but she wasn't getting anywhere with the guy. She didn't want to step on her toes yet, but soon she could see herself going in there &amp; lend a helping hand.

"And your precise objective was what exactly?" Donnelly asked

"To ensure GI Joe didn't compromise the mission" the man remarked

Donnelly refused to let the surprise show "your job was to ensure Captain Bond didn't get in the way of you &amp; your friends from taking Phoenix?"

"The guy's a serial pest from what I know, so yea, needed to take care of him, and I did" came the sneered reply "hear he's not doing so good, hope he well…."

Ziva entered the observation room &amp; was surprised to find Hollis Mann there, but looked to Vella "has he said anything?" she asked

"That his main job was to ensure Captain Bond didn't get in their way" Vella answered, he'd love nothing more than to go in there &amp; add to the bruises.

Ziva's eyes widened, this went right along the same path that this Loch Lancert guy knew Mike "we've found out that Loch Lancert, was the man in charge of the group that took Phoenix"

Vella knew the name of course "any idea how he knows Bond? This guy said the Captain was a serial pest, so obviously a known entity, did you get in contact with his older brother?" he knew about the message

"Yes, as well as their younger brother, they said that Lancert had followed Kelly to the retirement party, with 2 of Mac's men as Quinn was out of town. The Captain, and his two brothers went and asked them to leave, they declined, and it got heated" Ziva answered

"So Lancert worked for Mac?" Vella asked, this was getting really confusing and very involved! Gibbs's gut seemed to be right, somehow the guy was involved, this wasn't good!

"No, the brothers presumed the same thing, but the man denied that he worked for him, said he was in town as a favour to someone" Ziva answered

Hollis was just really confused by this conversation, she wasn't really understanding everything, and was trying to keep up, but one thing she knew "So can we assume that Lancert was the one to hire Withers &amp; Guthrie for whatever they were required to do?"

"That is a distinct possibility" Ziva remarked

"But we don't assume, my team's still looking into the interaction between those two" Vella replied, since when do agents assume? He hadn't taken his eyes off the room, off that guy &amp; decided it was time he used this new intel "excuse me"

Donnelly saw Vella enter the room, the man in the chair simply offered a raised eyebrow. Like herself, Vella was looking beyond angry, she could only presume he had some intel. They'd agreed that he would come in once they received some new information. She kept back and let him take the lead for now.

Vella went &amp; took up the empty chair, turning it the wrong way he sat down facing the guy "so, you work for Lancert or Fielding?" he was taking a stab in the dark, but if Lancert had been doing a favour for Fielding, maybe there a was a chance, he was doing it again. What was he saying? Mac was dead, still… he'd shake the tree and see what fell.

Donnelly saw the momentarily flinch, she didn't know they'd worked out who Lancert was or the connection to Mac, but Vella had obviously hit a nerve.

"Don't know what you're talking about" the guy said after a moment.

Vella knew he had gotten onto something "ok, so maybe you're one of Withers men" he suggested, Lancert had the exchanges with him rather than Guthrie, so he was obviously the lead in that pairing.

"I don't work for that idiot!" he snarled

"Oh so you know Withers?" Donnelly asked with a curt smile.

Vella saw the guy flinch again "so maybe you work for Guthrie?" all he got in reply was a stare "so either you work for Lancert, Fielding, or a pair idiots? Which is it?"

"I work for no man" came the answer

"So a favour then?" Vella suggested "I mean, I hear Loch is all about giving out favours, especially where Fielding is concerned" he finished with a smirk.

Donnelly knew they were starting to get to the man, she saw another twitch.

"You have no clue what your dealing with, or who, this isn't a situation you want to enter" came the snarled reply.

"So what about Commander Kaplan's whereabouts? Is she related to this situation too? Any idea where she is?" Donnelly queried

"No idea sweety, not my detail" the offered with a sly smile.

Donnelly eyed him as she approached and leaned down close to him, she ran a hand down his cheek "might not have been, but I'm sure you were important enough to know the details" she said with a smile "I'm mean, you're so strong, clearly you know how to take care of yourself. Loch would have trusted you, who wouldn't"

Vella watched the guy eye his fellow SSA up and down, he was clearly checking her out, if they didn't need this man breathing, he'd…

"you" the man sneered.

Donnelly just smiled before instantly bringing her hand up behind him &amp; grabbing his hair crashed his head against the table "this will go one of two ways asshole, you can tell us where they've taken Phoenix and what they want with Commander Kaplan and we may consider a deal, or not &amp; you don't want to find out what happens then"

Vella watched as the man sat himself back up &amp; laid death glare towards her "offer on table for 30 seconds"

"Never" came the reply "Doesn't matter what you say, or do, I will not say one word"

"Really?" Vella asked with a smirk "just wait, because if I was you I'd rather deal with us than oh say… Phoenix's father" he finished in a snarl "because he will tear you limb from limb, and me?... I'll let him!"

"Bring it on, I always enjoy a challenge &amp; really, Captain America wasn't much of one, and neither are you two sorry arses" came the reply.

"Didn't Captain Bond manage to pull you from a vehicle that you were intended to escape in?" Hollis asked off-handily, she'd entered only a moment ago, and managed to get in un-noticed by this man "and you're looking a little worse for wear" she added with a smirk.

Vella shared a look with Donnelly, neither were all that comfortable with her being in here, but they'd take whatever help they could get.

"Cuts &amp; bruises are apart of my life, and this is just a mere bump along the way, you'll see" the sneered reply came.

Hollis leaned down &amp; placed her hands on the table "cuts and bruises are one things, but what they said about Phoenix's father, you may want to listen, he can be… well… best you don't find out" she finished eyeing him carefully.

"I aint scared of your pathetic excuse for a boss, a man who was apparently such a good investigator that he didn't even realise that his family was alive and even living in the same city!" he replied with a cruel laugh.

Vella shared a look with Donnelly, this guy knew Gibbs's history? Things were definitely getting interrelated! and he was getting really pissed off with the guy, he leaned down close "how pathetic would you consider yourself for getting pulled from a vehicle by an apparent pathetic man? How pathetic would you consider yourself for getting arrested during such a mission, the **_only one_** to get arrested? Cause I'd consider it down right pathetic, the most pathetic thing there is!" he finished with a sneer.

"Yea, pretty pathetic" Donnelly agreed, but her eyes widened &amp; she reacted instantly, stepping backwards.

Vella had taken a step back when the man had launched himself out of the chairs towards Donnelly as he let out a snarled scream. He instantly moved to intercept, how'd this guy break out of his cuffs? He saw Donnelly had instantly put her arms forward to block his approach, and he went to grab hold of the guy by his neck. "Get the fuck off her" he snarled as he yanked the guy backwards.

"Get it open!" Ziva yelled to the MP at the door as she raced from observation. What did this guy think he could achieve?

Sanderson's eyes widened &amp; flung the door open, he saw the dickhead trying to get at one of the NCIS agents. He launched himself at the man trying to get him off her, and between him &amp; Vella they'd managed to get him off her. But he couldn't lock the man's legs fast enough &amp; he brought them up &amp; attempted to kick into Donnelly's midriff. Using every inch of his strength he dragged the man backwards.

Ziva saw Donnelly &amp; Hollis both trying to get the man off her and get control of him again, she went straight for his midriff trying to drive him back &amp; secure his legs.

Vella pulled the guy further backwards &amp; locked an arm around his neck "flip!" he ordered and knew the others wound follow his lead, as a team they flipped the man down onto the ground hard but as they did he laid a solid jab into the man's left cheek, he hadn't been alone though. He'd seen Sanderson give the man a solid punch to his chest.

Ziva heard the call &amp; went to move the man onto his stomach &amp; as she did she gave him a solid knee to his midriff, but she wasn't alone Hollis had done likewise. Having him down on the ground, she used her legs to secure his legs. She saw Vella &amp; the MP both using their knees to keep the man's head down &amp; their hands were grabbing his arms behind himself.

Vella leaned down to get sight of the man's face, looks like all of their strikes as well as how heavy they laid the guy on the ground knocked him out "he's out to it, get shackles!" Vella ordered Sanderson. He cast his eyes up to Donnelly, she was bent over &amp; resting her hands on her knees "Donnelly, you ok?"

Donnelly lifted her head, the guy had managed to connect his feet with her midriff "yea, just winded" right as she said it she heard feet approaching, rushed feet approaching.

Hollis couldn't believe the man had attempted to do what he did, but like the others had reacted instantly in her attempt to resecure him, as she held him in place she looked up in time to see SFA's Johns &amp; Ainsworth rush in.

Vella saw his SFA "cuffs Ainsworth!"

Johns went straight for his boss "you ok?" as he saw his fellow Agent drop down to the floor.

Donnelly stood up &amp; breathed deep "fine Johns"

Ziva saw a pair of MP's rush into the room "Shackles!" she demanded.

Donnelly watched as the man was secured into the shackles "Johns, I want a 3 man detail in here with him, 1 more on the door, you keep him secured until he comes around, then shove his ass into that chair &amp; secure him in it! When he's secured call me, I will get him to talk" she finished with a snarl. She wanted nothing more than to prize every bit of information out of the guy.

"Yes ma'am" Johns answered, he looked at Sanderson "Sgt, one of your men on the door, the other will remain in here with us"

Sanderson nodded "PFC O'Hare, take the door!" he ordered, he'd keep Lance Corporal Mendels inside with them.

"Yes sir!" O'Hare answered, he headed out of the room to take up position &amp; saw Tristan &amp; SSA Brunswick approach, he took a stand just to the left of the door &amp; brought himself to attention for the lady.

Tristan walked into the room, she was tense on so many levels, but she'd seen the alarm notifications go off for the interrogation room &amp; had grown concerned. The scene in front of her wasn't all that comforting, the assailant was on the ground now in shackles, there were numerous bodies still securing him place &amp; Donnelly was looking a little off, but she was also looking beyond pissed! That wouldn't spell anything good, for everyone, but she suspected it especially wouldn't spell anything good for the man now lying face down on the ground.

* * *

**A/N: So the Bond boys are on their way! That will definitely help! But this punk in interrogation seems to have known Mike too? And he reacted to Mac? This really isn't looking good, but he's pretty much up shit creek for what he attempted to do, I have a feeling Donnelly is going to rip him limb from limb! If someone else doesn't else beat her to it that is… **

**But what will happen when Kruse finds Nix's teammate? Why did he help?**

**I'm pretty busy with university at the moment, but I will endeavour to get a new chapter up as soon as I can. You know I love to read your comments, so review away!**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Hi Folks, firstly, I am so terribly sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, by Reg Life has been crazy! To my latest followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you so much! I love hearing your thoughts, so keep the comments coming!**

**Guest Reviewers:**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks!**

**Momcat: Thanks! That guy definitely knows some of the history, there's no denying that. As for Loch Lancert, he has ties to someone, but the question is who? **

**Ladyaloysius: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the last few chapters, and yea, they were tense, and there'll be more to come i'm afraid.**

**Now, a few notes on this chapter, first off the swear jar has been placed on hiatus, I think you'll agree that if it was in use, the entire agency would be lining up outside the bathroom. Secondly, I wanted to do the interrogation in Italian, but it just got too complicated, so please consider all sentences that have been **_italic'd &amp; underlined,_** as meaning to be spoken in Italian. **

**Now, let's get into it!**

* * *

Gibbs headed back into his office, he was glad that Mike's brothers were headed to Naples, it would definitely help them identify the guy and hoped it would help to find his son too. He saw that his girls had not moved an inch from their place on the couch. Sitting down with them he pulled his little girl over his lap, so that he could get hold of both his girls, wrapping his arms around them he whispered "I'm here"

Gibbs just sat there as he rubbed his hands up &amp; down his girl's backs, he looked over to his dad who had this glazed look in his eyes and even though his was looking right at him, he looked like he was staring off into space.

Shannon was glad her husband was back, she felt like she was falling apart at the seams. She knew though that it wouldn't serve anything, she took a deep breath &amp; pulled back just enough to wipes the tears away and looked at him "did you speak with Marcus?"

"And Myles" Gibbs nodded

Kelly finally lifted her head to her dad "Myles?"

Gibbs nodded "he and Marcus are both in Frankfurt, they were partaking in some exercises with NATO teams. They're going to be leaving in the next 10 minutes and will be here in about 2 hours, with their teams"

"What did they say?" Shannon asked, but she knew that it would certainly give Mike a boost to have two of his brothers here, and maybe Kelly too.

Gibbs explained what the brothers had said about the visitors at their father's retirement party, including the name connection. He saw them all try to process it, his girl though had leaned away &amp; stared off out the window "Angel?"

"He should have told me about it" Kelly sighed

"You know Mike was just trying to shield you from it darling, you can't hold that against him. He always tried to shield you &amp; your brother from it" Shannon said, trying to sooth her, though she wished this was one he would have told her about. He'd mentioned other ones to her and not her children, why not this time?

Kelly took a deep breath &amp; just nodded, she knew how much Mike tried to shield her, but her thoughts were distracted when her phone went, it was familiar and very specific ring tone – a Bond boy was texting her! She grabbed her phone &amp; read the message, it was Myles _'__We're leaving now, got my boys with me, we'll get squirt back! See you soon KAGy__'_ Kelly gave a small smile at his usual nickname for her &amp; replied _'hurry Myles, please!'_

_"__Marc will push the engines as hard as he can, be there soon! Promise you!'_ came the reply.

Shannon watched her daughter text someone "angel?"

"They're leaving Frankfurt now" Kelly answered, but something suddenly hit her as she held her phone "Nix's phone! We could try tracking it!" she exclaimed

Gibbs gave her a sad smile "I know Kells, but Wu's got it, he found it amongst the debris, he says its damaged, but will bring it back here to see what we can get from it" he'd already had that thought &amp; checked with Wu.

Kelly slumped down in defeat.

Gibbs put his arm around her as he brought her close "that was a good thought angel, and I'm sure you'll have others. Dyson &amp; Aymond should be here already with the various CCTV feeds of the area &amp; we will comb them all. We will get a trail for him, and we will find him, but we need to try to stay focused and positive, I know that will be hard, I know. But we have to try, your brother will do everything possible to get some kind of message to us, that I am certain of, and you are the person who will most likely understand it when it comes in" he was certain his son would do all he could to get some kind of message, or away from his captures, he just had to ready to accept the message and more to the point understand it.

Shannon knew her husband was right, they had to stay focused and she would stay as positive as she could "darling why don't we go and try to freshen up a little first" she suggested

Gibbs watched as his wife took their girl to the bathroom, he turned his attention to his dad, he still hadn't uttered a word &amp; was starting to worry "dad, you ok?"

"I just don't understand Leroy, what could that man possibly want with Phoenix, especially now that MacDonald is dead and what on earth does this have to do with Tony's sister and the man that adopted her?" Jack asked, he just didn't understand why anyone would take his grandson.

"I have no idea dad" Gibbs admitted, he was just as dumbfounded as his father was "but we will figure it out, we'll figure it out, we'll find him and the man will be dealt with accordingly"

"Jethro, dealing with him is all well &amp; good, but there is only one thing I want, and that is my grandson" Jack said looking at his son, he'd lost a grandchild once before &amp; he knew he couldn't go through that again, he couldn't even bring himself to imagine anything of sort, it was just too painful. He couldn't even start to contemplate what his son was going through right now, the pain must be more than imaginable.

"You'll get him back dad, I promise you, you're not loosing your grandson" Gibbs remarked with as much positive force he could muster, his dad looked scared &amp; that actually scared him, he'd never seen his dad show an emotion close to it. He understood it though, because the thought of loosing his boy was just too much to even consider. He needed to get them both thinking of anything except their emotions right now "why don't you help look at the feeds, you always see things I miss" he remarked, he knew his dad still had a keen sense of picking out things that would otherwise go unnoticed

Jack nodded, that was a good idea, he needed to keep his mind busy and he did want to help.

Brunswick saw Gibbs coming down the stairs with his family &amp; headed straight for him "Boss, Kruse has found De Luca! He's bringing him in now"

"Straight to interrogation Brunswick!" Gibbs ordered, he wanted to rip the kid to shreds.

Shannon watched as she headed off "I'm coming"

Gibbs was about to answer when he was called.

"Boss! Got something!" Nassim called

Gibbs and his family headed straight for Brunswick's SFA "what you got Nassim?"

"Think we've got a look at this Loch guy boss" Nassim answered "found footage from a block away from where we think the snipers nest was that took out Withers &amp; Guthrie, take a look" Nassim answered, as he put the feed up on the big screen.

Gibbs turned to the screen &amp; noted his team, and almost everyone on the floor were looking as well. It was footage of one of the narrow streets.

"Wait for it boss" Nassim remarked, it rolled for 10 more seconds "there!" he said pointing at two men who had come of a side alley.

Gibbs focused, there were two men hugging the buildings, both held black bags that were long enough to hold a snipers rifle, had they killed Withers &amp; Guthrie? He couldn't really make it out "Nassim, I can barely…"

"Wait for it boss, we get a better angle in about a minute" Nassim answered interrupting him.

Kelly waited, not very patiently mind you, but within a minute, they got a much better look &amp; the tattoo on the guy's neck was in full view "that's.."

Gibbs focused right in on the two men, the tattoos was definitely visible, the man looked around 6", short black hair, his nostrils flared in anger.

"That's the fuckwit downstairs!" Donnelly remarked looking at the feed, she'd just come into the bullpen with the others.

"Where's this from?" Tristan enquired.

"A block from the snipers nest where Withers &amp; Guthrie were shot from ma'am" Nassim answered.

Gibbs turned to his agent &amp; pointed at the man next to Loch "this guy is down in interrogation?"

"Yes" Vella growled

"Use it &amp; get back down there!" Gibbs barked.

"Will have to wait for the man to regain consciousness" Tristan remarked "while we wait we can get some background work done"

Nassim felt the gaze rest on his "we're already running them through facial recognition ma'am"

Gibbs was caught by Tristan's statement &amp; then he took Donnelly in, she didn't look bad, but she was a little flushed "what happened?"

"Arsehole thought he could actually get the better of us" Vella sneered, he wanted another 5 minutes with the man.

"Agent Johns &amp; Sgt Sanderson have him secured, when he wakes he'll answer for what he attempted" Tristan added, there was one thing she didn't stand for &amp; that was someone taking aim at her agents, and she'd deal with him!

Gibbs saw that whatever had happened Tristan had it well in hand, he saw Brunswick enter the area &amp; knew what it meant "track them, and see if we can find where they went, get it all!"

As Gibbs headed towards the lift he paused briefly at Donnelly "take a moment if you need it Jodie" something had obviously happened down there involving her.

Donnelly gave her boss a small smile "Thanks boss, I'm fine" she was touched that he'd take a moment to check on her.

Gibbs headed towards the lift, but he'd seen his dad had peeled off &amp; went to take a seat next to Tim, he turned to his girl "you want come with us or stay up here with gramps &amp; Tim who are looking through the feeds?"

Kelly considered it, she did want to go to see why that boy had done what he'd done, but she wasn't sure she could just stand around "I'll stay here, need to do something"

Gibbs nodded in understanding "we'll be back soon angel, stay here with them and do not go **_anywhere_**" while he'd noted that all of his agents were carrying their sidearms even inside the building, he couldn't let anything happen to her.

Shannon gave her girl a quick hug "back soon angel, stay with gramps &amp; Tim please"

"I will" Kelly replied

Tim saw Kelly was now making her way towards him, but Gibbs grabbed his attention, he motioned towards his girl &amp; then his father. The look was clear, stay with them &amp; don't let them go anywhere, he nodded at his boss, he certainly would stay with them and ensure they were safe.

Tim put an arm around Kelly's waist as she sat down on his leg and brought her close "we'll find him Kells" he whispered.

* * *

Gibbs led Shannon into the viewing room and he instantly zoned into the punk kid sitting in interrogation, it was the boy that was on the bench for the game, he saw that Brunswick &amp; Silva were in there with him, while Kruse was here with him "where'd you find him?"

"Small club down in Castel dell'Ovo" Kruse replied "sitting alone in the back corner, all's he said is he didn't mean it"

"Mean what?" Gibbs enquired

"Not sure boss, they're the only words he'd uttered" Kruse answered "he doesn't really speak much English boss so I thought Jess &amp; Silva would be the best at speaking with him" he also thought it best to keep Gibbs out of that room, the guy would likely hang the kid up by his toes before getting answers, he understood it, but they had to get the answers.

Shannon turned her attention to the other room, she wondered why this boy who couldn't have been older than her son, would do such a thing!

"_We know you were the one that led Phoenix and the others around to the car park_" Brunswick remarked

"_We know you then left them there for the taking_" Silva added

"_I didn't mean for __**that**__ to happen_" De Luca remarked shakily

"_Didn't mean what? For them to get assaulted, or Phoenix kidnapped? What exactly didn't you mean?_" Brunswick asserted

"_You don't understand, he…_" De Luca tried

"_he what?_" Brunswick pressed

"_He…_" De Luca tried "_he came in and just…_"

Brunswick shared a look with Silva, what was he getting at?

"_He came in where &amp; did what?_" Silva pressed

"_Doesn't matter anymore_" De Luca muttered

"_The hell it doesn't!_" Brunswick barked slamming her hands down on the table in front of him "_you're already up shit creek, the question is what size paddle do you have!_"

"_Tell us why and how you did it, tell us everything &amp; you may be spared some discomfort, would hate for you to have to speak to Phoenix's father_" Silva added, she really wasn't sure how Gibbs was stopping himself from coming in, but she betted it wouldn't last, especially if he wasn't forth coming

Gibbs wanted to go in there &amp; shake the punk kid until he confessed everything, but on some level he realised it wouldn't be professional of him to engage, so he held off but if he didn't give anything soon he'd push that to the side.

Brunswick waited and it only took another moment

"_He… he took my spot!_" De Luca suddenly vented "_I've been working myself into the ground for years &amp; all of sudden he comes in from __**college soccer**__ and within mere months takes the spot that was to be mine &amp; Richardo's! He needed to be put in his place! You can't just come into Napoli and expect things handed to you!_" he vented, that guy had come in &amp; basically taken over, and he'd come from the pity excuse of american college soccer, pftt!

Kruse's eyes widened in utter surprise, this kid had done what he did cause Nix took his spot in the team? Seriously? He flashed a look towards Gibbs &amp; Shannon, both seemed to be just as shocked as he was. He then saw Donnelly enter the room.

"Got pictures of the pair in case you need them with him boss" Donnelly said handing the folder over.

Gibbs took it without saying a word.

Brunswick couldn't say she wasn't surprised, she was gobsmacked! "_So let me get this straight, you led Phoenix and the others around to the car park, left them there to get assaulted and Phoenix kidnapped, all because what? he took your spot in the team? Seriously?_"

"_I've given up my life for this! I've been in the academy since I was 8! He has to pay his dues!_" De Luca huffed, before taking a breath "_but I didn't…. he was just supposed to be roughed up enough to not be able to play for the next few weeks!_"

Gibbs went from shock to pissed within mere seconds, he wanted nothing more than to 'rough up' that kid in return. He couldn't take it anymore &amp; went straight for the punk kid.

Brunswick saw Gibbs head in looking utterly furious, she wasn't at all surprised, nor was she surprised that Kruse had followed obviously in case he needed to intervene at all, what surprised her was that Col Marks had brought the rear up, where'd he come from?

Marks had been heading down the hall when he saw a utterly furious looking Gibbs come out of the viewing room, he was hastily followed by SSA Kruse, who gave him a subtle but clear look, please come with, just in case. He wasn't sure what was going or who this boy was, so he just stood in the corner, waiting..

Gibbs ploughed into the room &amp; yanked the kid out of his chair by the scruff of his neck &amp; held him against the wall "you're going to tell me exactly what you did or so help me g-d, I will end your career before it even begins, and that's all that will happen if you're lucky!" he barked

Kruse was standing just behind his boss, he was giving the kid a death glare but the main reason he was where he was, was in case he needed to well, relief some pressure, but he'd give his boss a bit of time first.

Silva could see the boy was now looking utterly terrified &amp; that he'd clearly understood the threat, guess he knew some English after all. She was enjoying this, she flashed Brunswick a smirk that got returned in reply.

"I didn't do anything!" De Luca got out

"**_Bullshit!_**" Gibbs barked "you were the one that got **_my son_** &amp; **_my agents_** to the car park where they were ambushed &amp; him kidnapped! You just said you wanted him roughed up! So what the fuck did you do?" he exclaimed

"He approached me!" De Luca yelled, he was desperately trying to get out of the man's hold.

"Who?" Gibbs demanded

"I don't know his name!" De Luca panted

Gibbs wanted to rip him to shreds, he could feel the rage, he needed to keep a lid on it, he took a breath &amp; pushed the kid towards the table "sit your ass down &amp; tell me everything"

Shannon wanted to go in there &amp; hit the boy herself, she knew her husband was trying to restrain himself as much as possible, she was doing likewise.

Marks saw the kid stumble his way to the chair, but now he knew who this kid was, he was angry himself, this was the kid that lured the group around the back? He turned his face to total stone.

Brunswick saw the kid look around the room, and she could only imagine what he was seeing, there was Gibbs, Kruse, Col Marks, Silva &amp; herself who were all staring at him with utter fury &amp; expectancy, it would be quite intimidating.

Kruse could tell his boss would rip the kid to shreds within minutes, so he leaned down &amp; put his palms on the table "you better start talking kid, you don't want to know what will happen if you don't" he suggested darkly.

"He said… " De Luca started but stopped "I… I can't"

Gibbs leaned down "he threated you, didn't he?" he didn't even wait for the reply, because he saw the answer in the kids eyes "_he may have threatened you, me? I promise, and my promises, I keep, so you don't want me to promise to bring the hurt"_

De Luca flashed his eyes around the room, he knew he was up shit creek, but this man was downright terrifying him, he looked at the two women "_I talk to you, not him_"

"_You don't tell them everything &amp; I will come back, you don't want that_" Gibbs sneered before leaving the room, with both Kruse &amp; Marks on his tail.

Shannon saw her husband come back, he looked how she felt, angry &amp; falling apart, she took hold of him as soon as she could, my gosh, he was shaking "he'll tell them darling, you scared him to death" he'd also scared her a little.

Gibbs nodded, hoping she was right.

Brunswick sat down opposite him "_go ahead, but fast or he will be back_"

"_This guy approached me yesterday, said he knew I should be in the team instead of him &amp; that he could help me out_" De Luca started shakily.

"_How exactly did he want to help?_" Silva pressed

"_Said if I got him into a quiet area, he'd make sure he was out of the picture for the next 2 games, which would allow me to take my spot back_" De Luca answered quietly

"_Give us the details_" Brunswick pressed "_everything he said, everything you did, how you communicated, the lot!_" Brunswick pressed.

Shannon listened to it all, how the 'man' had talked him into telling the team about the new club just to get her son there, about the conversation regarding the shoes and the car &amp; leaving them there, knowing what was to come. She couldn't believe it, she had tears rolling her cheeks and she leaned back into her husband "that boy is so bitter, how could he have done that to our son simply because he didn't like be superseded on the pitch"

Gibbs was fighting many urges, tears, rage, but he just held her tight, knowing it helped her &amp; himself "desperation, he'll be held accountable for his part" he didn't care about the motives of the boy, he would make sure the kid was held accountable for what he did to his son.

"_You saying that you got no details about the guy? At all?_" Silva enquired not really believing it.

"_NO!_" De Luca replied "_he never said his name, didn't give me any numbers or anything!_"

"_Describe him then_" Silva request briskly

"_Tall, black hair, tattoos_" De Luca replied

Brunswick shared a look with Silva, it was Loch? She had been passed the folder by Kruse &amp; pulled the photos out "_is this him?_" she asked pointing to the still of Loch Lancert

"_Yes, that's him on the left_" De Luca answered.

Brunswick rose from her chair &amp; looked down at the kid, she kind of felt sorry for him, he was clearly desperate to play but that didn't excuse him from his actions "_we're going to place you in a holding cell until it is determined if charges will laid_" what she wouldn't say was that after 48 hours, they'd have to release him &amp; possibly sooner, though she could arrange for him to be handed over to the Local LEO's "_and just something for you to consider, maybe he took your spot because he worked himself into the ground and showed talent beyond what you had. Maybe he is just better than you, no matter where you both learnt your trade. But besides that, for you to do what you did, did you not realise you'd loose your spot, probably entirely? I can't image the club will be too pleased to hear what you did to a teammate_"

Brunswick walked out of that room both glad she could get the details from him about the part he played in setting Nix &amp; her friends up but also sad for the kid that he'd done something so stupid for the reason he did.

* * *

Gibbs pulled his wife out of the viewing room &amp; into an empty meeting room, they both needed a minute to compose themselves after hearing what that boy did and why. He saw her start to pace, she rarely did this but he knew these were highly irregular circumstances.

Shannon just couldn't understand it, and it was truly just seeping into her brain now, that boy… "that boy.. that boy… he wanted our son hurt just because he lost his spot on the team!? That's utterly ridiculous! I want to strangle him! I don't want him anywhere near our boy ever again!"

Gibbs took her into his hold instantly, realising this time he needed to be the calm one "I already strangled him once, but I want to do it over &amp; over again, he's obviously a desperate boy but I assure you he wont be near our boy again. I wont stop until the club kicks him out, it surely goes against the code of conduct he would have signed upon joining the club. I will make sure that he's held accountable for what he's done" he knew that all players signed codes of conduct pledges upon signing &amp; that if some items were broken they could be excused from the club instantly.

Shannon just rested her head on her husbands shoulder "we have to find him Jethro" she whispered letting some tears run down her face.

Gibbs moved one of his hands to lift her chin so he could look at her "I promise you Shannon, we'll sort all this out &amp; get our son home, where he belongs, I wont allow that man to tear our family apart" He caressed her cheek as he wiped the tears away, he leaned their heads together "I promise you Shan, we will find our son, I wont stop, rest until I get him home to us, wont go home without him." He finished gently giving her a kiss. He had to reassure her, he'd get their son home and he work out what the hell was going on with well, everything! And he would not be going home until he had his family whole again, nope no way was he heading home without his entire family!

* * *

**A/N: Football is cut throat, but I say that the De Luca boy is not very nice! ****But I'm sure Gibbs will ensure he goes nowhere near the club again! Let alone near Nix! But again Loch Lancert comes to the fore! **

**I'm sorry to say that I'm not sure when I will be able to get the next chapter up, as I've got some major ****university assignments &amp; exams, but I will try to get one up soon. **

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away!**


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you! I love reading your thoughts, they keep me inspired! **

**Guest Reviewers: Sue Dooley: Thank you so much! So glad you're loving this!**

**Momcat: The De Luca boy did a very stupid thing, that is without a doubt &amp; he will pay for his part in it, that is assured! Gibbs terrorising him was satisfying to read, but he had to keep a cool head, otherwise the kid could walk due to bad procedures. And when they find Nix, Loch will definitely get what's coming, BUT there is a way to go &amp; much to learn..**

**Now, let's get into it..**

* * *

Ziva was sitting at her desk going through some of the feeds, she couldn't help but look across to Tim &amp; Kelly, she hadn't moved from his knee, neither had spoken a word since, she'd never seen Kelly so quiet. Tim was working through one of the feeds as he held her close, but he was doing it silently. She then saw Wu arrive back &amp; approach.

Wu could tell both Tim &amp; Kelly were quiet, he could guess why but he had something, he cleared his throat &amp; when they looked up he spoke "Phoenix's phone" he simply said &amp; held it out.

Kelly's eyes widened as she looked at her brother's phone.

"We've already dusted for prints, not sure if you can get anything from it or not" Wu added as he laid it into Kelly's hand.

Tim watched as she stared at the phone, he quickly looked up to Wu "we'll see what we can get, did you get the other phones?"

Wu nodded "yea, they're over at the labs, but I figured you'd want to do Nix's one personally"

Tim nodded in appreciation, but he turned his attention back to the girl on his lap "we should check to see if there's anything on it Kell"

Jack was sitting a chair just next to his granddaughter, he could see was lost inside her own head her much like he'd been before his son had gotten him out of it, he needed to do likewise for her. He reached forward, placing one hand on her thigh he cupped her cheek with the other "Kelly darling, I know how painful this must be for you, I know you are besides yourself about your brother. But your father is right about something, we need to focus, and right now I need to see the strong granddaughter that brought this family back together. I need the stubborn Gibbs genes to rear their head, because you're the only one that could get into that phone. I know my strong little darling is in there somewhere, and right now, that's who we need, who I need to see." he knew she'd be totally overwhelmed about her brother, after all, they were the closet siblings he knew but right now he needed that tough, stubborn girl that kept her brother safe for 7 years and brought the family back together.

Kelly looked at her grandfather, she could tell he was trying to be as focused as possible, swallowing and taking a deep breath she nodded. She'd been so relaxed these last number of months that her outer tough shell had semi retreated, but he was right, she had to focus &amp; bring that back to the fore and she could do this! "Thanks gramps"

Jack nodded, he could already see her start to focus "that's my girl"

Tim smiled at their pair's interaction, he was going to try to coax her into doing it, but Jack had made a move to try &amp; he'd let him go for it, glad that it worked.

Kelly wiped her face &amp; took hold of her brother's phone, the screen was cracked in numerous places &amp; it wouldn't turn on, she tried default reset, nope that didn't work "I need.."

"your laptop &amp; a cable" Tim supplied

"Thanks" Kelly said giving him a small smile, she attached the cable to the phone as her laptop powered up.

Tim could see that Kelly was totally focused on doing what she had to do, so he manoeuvred her into a chair right between him &amp; her grandfather, he knew that she could concentrate on that so he went back to the feeds, from the ones they'd gone through so far, they were pretty poor in quality "anyone got anything decent?" he called, the head shakes were not comforting, at all!

Tony was at his desk, while the others were all concentrating on the feeds he was doing something else, he was looking into this Lawrence Alexander. He'd gotten Fornell to get the FBI to send him everything they had, which wasn't a whole lot. He just couldn't work why the guy that adopted his sister, seemingly under strange circumstances to begin with, would send money to Kelly? He just couldn't work it out, and he wanted to have something because that would help them find his sister, find his nephew, and find Phoenix whom he now considered to be like a younger brother.

Looking up Tony saw Gibbs and Shannon heading back, they'd been gone for well over an hour he wondered just what that kid had had to say for himself.

Gibbs wasn't too sure how exactly he was going tell his daughter and father about what De Luca said, but he noticed that Kelly had her head buried into her own laptop, he wondered if, but his question was answered when he saw Wu, she had her brother's phone!

Shannon could see that her girl was utterly focused on her laptop as she approached "Kelly darling" she said softly as she ran her hand over her girl's head.

Kelly broke contact with her laptop "we just got Nix's phone" she whispered

"Anything on it angel?" Gibbs asked gently

"Not sure, it's pretty banged up, I'm trying to download the videos and photos now" Kelly answered, but she looked between her parents "did he say anything?" she asked

Gibbs flashed a look with his wife, he was unsure how to answer it, and he saw that his dad, Tim, Tony, Ziva &amp; few others were now looking his way "he was a desperate boy who was afraid of loosing his future, but why he did it doesn't matter right now. What matters is we know that man we think is Loch Lancert was the man that he dealt with"

"If he dealt with Lancert then he has to know how to contact him! And why doesn't it matter why? He was Nix's teammate, why would he do such a thing?" Kelly asked, of course it mattered why! That was the most important thing! How could a teammate do such a thing!

"Kelly angel, it doesn't matter why, because the why doesn't help us find Phoenix, ok? and that's all we need to be concerned about. De Luca never communicated with the guy over phones or anything, but every bit of detail De Luca knew he told us" Gibbs said as he caressed her cheek "we'll talk about it later, I promise, but now, let's see if there's anything on Nix's phone"

Kelly saw her mum nod in agreement &amp; sat back down, the phone had finally finished downloading the new photos &amp; videos from the last few days "there are some photos &amp; videos from tonight"

"Let's look at the photos first" Gibbs suggested, while part of him wanted to keep it private, he knew he needed a few eyes on it "McGee put them up on the plasma, DiNozzo, David, Wu!" he called, wanting them to see it too.

Shannon was tense, but she couldn't help but let out a laugh at the image now in front of her, Mike was sitting perched on top of Phoenix's shoulders, both boys were giving a muscle man pose, she flashed her daughter a small smile, so typically them, but the last time she'd seen something like that the boy's positions had been reversed.

Gibbs swallowed the lump in his throat, both boys were grinning &amp; looked so happy, a stark contrast to just a little while later "when was this taken?"

"Just before we went into the club" Kelly answered with a small smile, that picture was so heart warming. She just prayed both of them would be ok, they had to be!

Ziva looked at the image, it certainly looked like both Mike &amp; Nix were happy, but she saw something else "there, that man in the background" she said pointing behind the pair to the left, he was standing a little distance away, but had his eyes firmly on the pair.

Tim saw where Ziva had pointed &amp; zoomed in, it took a few minutes &amp; he managed to clean the image up, the man was certainly clearly focused on them, but it wasn't Loch Lancert, nor the man they had in custody. How could he not have seen this guy? He berated himself for not noticing a man doing nothing but paying attention to them. "Its not Lancert or the other guy"

"Zuse, run him through facial recognition" Tony ordered pre-empting Gibbs thought.

"Yes sir" Zuse nodded &amp; sat back down.

Tim went through the rest of the pictures, unfortunately none of them held anything of use "videos boss?"

"Yes" Gibbs nodded, he'd rather say no because seeing these photos of his son, daughter, Mike, Tim, Jonas &amp; others all being happy &amp; joking around was really hard to see right now.

Jack watched, he could see how hard it was for the rest of his family, it was excruciatingly painful. Seeing his grandson so happy &amp; joking with his sister &amp; the others should have made him smile but knowing his grandson was now in the hands of a man who would do him harm and having no idea as to his wellbeing, it was just depressing.

Wu just stood still as he watched the various photos &amp; videos flow on the screen, seeing his SFA smiling &amp; joking, basically being himself should have produced his usual eye rolls &amp; sly grins, but right now he was struggling to maintain his composure.

Tim had one last video to go &amp; based on the time stamp, this could be it "last one" he said quietly, trying to convey his thought that this could be something.

Gibbs looked over to Tim &amp; saw the look on his face, he already had his wife in his side, but he wrapped an arm around his girl's waist who was standing just in front of him, pulling her into his chest.

Tony noticed that as the videos played more people were paying attention, he just focused on the screen. His eyes widened as soon as it started, it started with almighty scream &amp; it belonged to Nix, he just watched as it started to unfold.

Shannon wasn't sure she could watch it, and that thought was amplified ten fold when she heard her son's scream against a black backdrop, she tensed instantly.

Gibbs took a stronger hold of his girls, part of him wanted to stop the video and have his girls not view it, but he knew that they wouldn't hear of it. The scream really unsettled him, but the fact that all they could see was black was worrying to.

Kelly cringed as she heard her brothers scream but all of sudden the feed was showing some images, but it was rattling around almost like it was falling, and the way it fell she actually saw bodies flying all over the place, but then the she heard &amp; saw Mike.

_"__Get fucked!" Mike yelled flipping the man that had him in a hold onto the ground &amp; knowing they were in a fight for who knew what, took a sharp hold of the man's neck &amp; squeezed._

Ziva's eyes widened, guess they now knew how that man died, Mike certainly wasn't holding back.

_Mike didn't even wait a second, he lunged for the bastard that was trying to move Nix away from him "Get the fuck off him!" he yelled._

_"__Fuck off!" Jonas yelled drop-kicking one man &amp; trying to dislodge himself from another's hold, he had to get to Phoenix! _

Wu had never seen his charge looking so angry! And while it was hard to watch he was grateful for the way the phone fell so they could at least see what was happening.

Jack hadn't been this tense in a long time, but seeing over a dozen men all engaged in fights with Phoenix, Michael and the others wasn't the least bit easy.

_Mike grabbed Loch around the neck "I told you to fuck off back then, and I'm telling you to fuck off now!" he sneered_

_"__Fuck off yourself" Loch sneered back trying to get him off himself._

_Nix was struggling to dislodge these two men that seemed hell bent of doing who knew what to him, he had no clue who they were or what they wanted, but he suddenly heard Mike &amp; pushed himself back into the man, and using that leverage he managed to bring his knees up &amp; kneed the other guy in his guts._

Gibbs watched as Mike, looking every bit the furious marine managed to dislodge Loch's hold on his boy, while he boy managed to bring down the other man, he was using every bit of strength he could muster.

_Mike kept hold of Loch &amp; saw Jonas had managed to deal with a few others "Evans! Get Nix out of here!" he barked "Go Phoenix!"_

Tim watched as Evans dropped kicked &amp; laid one man down before pulling Nix away from the melee going on.

_"__Come on Phoenix" Evans said hurriedly as she pulled him away, she didn't want to leave Jonas, but like Captain Bond she knew they had to get Phoenix away._

Shannon saw her son &amp; Evans disappear from view, left was Michael &amp; Jonas both fighting with all their might against a horde, but then she saw her son come blazing back onto the screen yelling.

_"__Get off them!" Nix yelled, there was not a chance he would leave Mike in this mess, he had to help him!_

Tristan had been watching as soon as she heard the first yell, much like many others &amp; could never imagine seeing Phoenix look so angry.

Gibbs watched, this was the hardest thing he'd ever watched in his life, the next few moments passed like they'd knew, not only had Nix come back, but so had Evans.

Kelly cringed as 3 men finally overpowered Mike &amp; took him down. She then saw Jonas go to ground and Evans get dragged away but the worst was that the Loch guy knocked her brother out hard, really hard.

Gibbs squeezed his girls, seeing his son get knocked out by Loch, the damn guy used a crowbar against his midriff, before laying a stiff upper cut, that would definitely do damage! He didn't want to let go of his girls, he had to keep them safe!

Wu watched as his dazed charge tried his best shake himself off &amp; went charging for the SUV which had only pulled up on screen.

Kelly knew what was coming &amp; turned her head into her dad, she didn't want to watch, she couldn't see it again.

Shannon watched as not only Jonas shook himself clear &amp; charged for the SUV but so did Mike, they attempted to gain access to vehicle &amp; her eyes quickly widened in horror as she saw the pair pushed out of the vehicle &amp; shot at, but seeing him then run over was too much, she buried her head into husband's side. Seeing it all was just too much, she just wanted her boy in her arms again.

Gibbs felt his girl turn into him and knowing what was coming moved the hand that was on Kelly's waist to hold her head gently into him. He knew it was coming but he winced none the less when they were bundled out of the car. He then had his wife's head buried into him &amp; he again moved his hand to caress her head. He knew why she'd turned away, seeing Mike get shot &amp; then run over wasn't that easy, but it was also the culmination of the entire event.

Tony had to admit that was hard to watch, he'd seen both Kelly &amp; Shannon turn away from the screen, but he'd also realised that Tim had even looked away. He turned back to the screen with enough time for the man that was now in interrogation run right over the phone and it go dead.

Tristan swallowed the lump in her throat, seeing these images was never easy, but when they involved people you knew &amp; cared for, it was always harder, especially when they were dependents and not even agents! Taking stock of the bullpen she looked around and found that it was very quiet, all the agents seemed to be processing what they'd just seen.

She then saw 2 men standing back by the windows, one was in an Air Force utility uniform, while the other was in an Army one, she didn't even need to look at their name badges, the entire family seemed to look so alike. What she realised though was that the pair had obviously seen at least some part of that video, because they were both extremely pale. She took a cautious step towards the pair "Major, Lieutenant Bond" she greeted carefully.

Ziva's head turned abruptly upon hearing Tristan's greeting and she realised most heads turned as well.

Gibbs had just been holding his girls, that video was the worst thing he'd ever seen, but his head snapped back when he heard Tristan. He then felt both of his girls lift their heads &amp; he let go of Kelly as he felt her make a move.

Kelly was trying to get the images out of her head, but she'd heard Tristan, they were here? She lifted her head &amp; looked around her dad, and there they were standing there, she let go of her dad &amp; made a move "Myles" she said quietly as she got close.

Myles sucked a breath in, him &amp; his brother had come in at some point during that video &amp; seeing his brother in it was damn hard to watch. He then saw Kelly approach &amp; he felt like his emotions would go haywire "KAGy" he replied quietly before he wrapped his arms around her &amp; buried himself into her.

Kelly wrapped her arms around her friend, she was glad they, he was here.

Shannon saw her daughter go towards Myles, she knew of the two boys her girl was closest to him. She was to, and that she just put down to the fact that Marcus had already been deployed when Kelly started going out with Mike and therefore he wasn't really around to create a bond with. Withdrawing from her husband she approached Marcus, he was fairly pale so she gathered he'd seen some of the video. "Marcus" she said quietly greeting him

Marc had been beside himself with worry for the last 2 hours, but seeing that video had made his worry go up about a thousand fold. He had never been as close to Kelly and her family as his other brothers were, it wasn't that he didn't think they were the nicest people around, but he hadn't been around to develop such a strong bond. Even so, seeing Mrs G standing in front him when for so many years he'd thought she had died was really weird "Hi Mrs G" he choked out.

Shannon gave him a small smile, she placed hands on his arm "Your brother will fight, you know that" she saw him give a small nod, but felt him slightly shake, going with her gut, she took the young man into a hug "he'll fight Marc, he'll fight" she whispered as she rubbed her hands up &amp; down his back.

Tim wasn't really comfortable with it, but he'd realised that Mike hadn't been a threat, so he knew Myles wasn't either. It was obvious that the pair just seemed to be trying to console each other from a joint anguish, he could understand that, that was damn hard to watch, especially twice!

Myles finally pulled apart from his friend "hey" he whispered

Kelly gave him the tiniest smile "hey"

Shannon saw Myles &amp; Kelly finally pull apart, they weren't that far, so keeping hold of Marc she reached for his brother "Myles my boy"

Myles shifted his gaze and swallowed the baseball size lump in his throat "Mrs G"

Tim &amp; Tony couldn't help but share a look, both of these boys also used that reference for her?

Shannon let go of Marc "come here" she soothed as she brought him into a hug.

Gibbs had watched these interactions with interest, but seeing Shannon take Myles into an embrace he saw the boy literally melt into her. He was definitely seeking her comfort.

Shannon felt him grip her, clearly needing the comfort, wrapping her arms around him tightly she rubbed his back "He'll fight Myles, your brother will fight" she whispered into him.

"Hey Marc" Kelly said quietly

"Hey Kells" Marc said with a small smile as he fell into a hug with her.

Shannon pulled herself away from Myles, and brought her hand to his cheek "he'll fight Myles, and we will find Phoenix, yes?"

Myles just nodded.

Shannon gave him a small smile before laying a kiss to his forehead, this boy was almost around as much as Mike had been. She saw that her daughter &amp; Marc had just come out of their hug "lets go upstairs" she suggested.

Myles nodded, and taking a deep breath to push his emotions down he looked towards Gibbs, there was something he wanted to say first "my unit's downstairs sir, they're happy to help with security or anything needed"

Gibbs could see the boy, boy? he was a damn Army Ranger Lieutenant! Anyway, he could see he was trying to get his emotions back under control, he took the last step to close the distance "appreciate it, they can link up with Lt Andrews, he's downstairs overseeing things"

Myles nodded but looked over his shoulder "Sgt, downstairs, hook up with Lt Andrews!" he ordered to his NCO whom was waiting near the lift.

"Yes sir!" Staff Sgt Montgomery replied before heading off.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was a very hard video to watch! For everyone! Especially for Kelly &amp; Tim to relive it! ****But the Bond boys have arrived! Think Kelly is glad to have Myles there ****especially.**

**Now that the Bond boys have arrived, just what details will they learn? And what could get Kelly angry enough that she punched Myles? ;)**

**I will do my best to get another chapter up soon, but i've still got a university exam to prepare for, so can't promise a quick update. You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away!**


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: I'm baacck! Got myself a 2 week reprieve before university starts again! To my newest followers/favourites, thank you &amp; welcome aboard! To my ****reviewers thank you so much! You keep me inspired to write! Especially during the stressful exam times :)**

**Now, I hadn't planned on the Telly scene to be in this chapter, but seeing as a few you voiced your request, i give you a Telly scene to finish this chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

Gibbs followed his family and the Bond brothers into his office, they were all still reeling from the effects of that video. He could tell clear as day that both brothers had seen the video, they were as shaken as the rest of them.

Shannon walked into the office just after the boys and she realised there was one introduction to do "Marcus, Myles, this Jackson, Kelly &amp; Phoenix's grandfather. Jackson, Marcus &amp; Myles Bond"

"Sir" Marc greeted as he shook the older man's hand.

"Nice to meet you both" Jack greeted, he just wished it was under different circumstances!

"Sir" Myles greeted shaking the man's hand after his brother.

"I thought you'd go to the hospital before coming here?" Shannon asked, they couldn't have already gone there, it hadn't been much longer than 2 hours.

"Called them from the airport, he's still in surgery" Marc answered, and after seeing the video it was no wonder why! "They have my number &amp; will call with updates as soon as they know anything"

"Well they breed you MOB boys tough no?" Shannon asked "he'll fight" she stated as confidently as possible.

Jack had to admit curiosity about what MOB meant, but right now he really didn't care.

Myles nodded, he needed… well, he needed a punching bag, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon, so he thought it best to focus something else "any leads on…" he just couldn't finish the sentence.

Gibbs took a breath "He was set up by a teammate, that Loch guy got to the kid &amp; worked him to drag Nix, your brother and the others around to the isolated car park"

"A teammate?" Myles asked, he was disgusted!

Gibbs nodded, but he heard a knock at the door "yea?"

Tim entered promptly "head shots from the car-park boss, thought maybe everyone should look to see if they recognised anyone" given these guys recognised Loch, they may recognise others, and truth be told, he wanted to be in here right now.

"Give me the one of Loch" Gibbs requested, this was a good idea, receiving it he showed it to the brothers "this him?"

"That's him" Marc confirmed "not sure who the other is guy though"

Gibbs was glad to get the confirmation but he looked to the other brother "you recognise the other guy?"

"Yes" Myles confirmed venomously, flaring his nostrils

"From where Myles?" Shannon asked, she didn't recognise him. She was also glad that they seemed to have left the issue of the video contents behind because she really couldn't go there right now.

"NOLA" Myles answered as he flashed a look at Kelly.

Kelly was glad for the current distraction because she was still reeling from the video but "I don't remember him from NOLA, don't even remember any of Mac's men showing up while we were in NOLA, Mac was away at that time anyway" she was a little confused. She did remember that Mac being away made it a lot easier for her to go to NOLA in the first place.

Shannon knew what they were talking about, but she saw some confused looks "Mike was deploying out of New Orleans &amp; the weekend before he left Kelly had been invited to a symposium hosted by one of the universities in New Orleans, it was on…" she looked at her daughter "what was it called?"

"Ethics &amp; morality in computer forensics" Kelly supplied.

Shannon nodded "so she went down to spend time with Mike before he shipped out" she turned to Myles because there was one thing she didn't understand "I didn't realise you went too"

Tim had to admit he was again feeling out it, but he knew that was to expected, he could see Gibbs was also trying to play catch up.

Myles flashed a look to Kelly, whoops! He saw her give him a small smile "ahh.."

Shannon looked between the pair &amp; just shook her head, she was about to say something when Marcus beat her to it.

"That's why dad couldn't locate you that weekend!" Marcus remarked "Idiot! He called me over a dozen times!" he said shoving his brother in the shoulder.

Myles just shrugged "wanted to go to NOLA &amp; hang out, didn't see what the big deal was"

"I'll remind you of that when your little one does the same thing in 18 years!" Marcus retorted, he remembered that weekend, his father had called him over a dozen times seeking guidance as to where his wayward brother could have gone!

Myles just smirked at his oldest brother "sure"

"Can we get back to what happened down there?" Gibbs asked, one any other day he would have been ok with rehashing the past, but not today!

"Of course sir" Myles nodded "Kelly's symposium was being held at an auditorium in the Louis Armstrong Park, we found a place to stay not too far away, near Bourbon Street" he began to explain.

"It was little boutique hotel" Shannon remarked trying to remember the details she knew of the weekend.

"Yea, it was a 10 minute walk to the auditorium" Kelly nodded

"We got in on the Thursday night, Mike met us at the airport &amp; took us to the hotel, grabbed dinner &amp; just walked around, the place was crazy!" he remembered thinking that place rocked!

Tim was surprised that Myles had gone to NOLA too, guess he was good friends with Kelly too. He should know this, it wasn't like Kelly had offered to talk to him about back then, but he just thought it would be too hard for her so he hadn't gone there, but maybe it was time to do that.

"Nuts" Kelly agreed.

"Mike was tied up during the day on Friday &amp; Saturday, which was fine because Kelly was at her thing, it was finishing on Saturday evening." Myles remarked he took a breath "on the Friday morning I woke up earlier than Kells &amp; decided to go for a run, when I got downstairs that guy" he said pointing at the picture "was waiting just outside the hotel with another guy."

"What did he say?" Gibbs asked, he hated hearing this crap!

"Threated the crap out of me, demanding I take Kelly back to Houston &amp; leave NOLA right there &amp; then. When I didn't budge he said he could make things difficult" Myles answered

"What did you do Myles?" Marcus asked, he knew his brother wouldn't back down.

"I laughed in the guys face" Myles answered simply

"You laughed in his face?" Tim asked a little surprised, he would have been about 18 at the time &amp; these two guys would have been what late 20's early 30's, was he nuts?

"You have to understand, that was a threat I heard weekly, it was like saying 'do you want fries with that?' to me &amp; Mike" Myles answered Tim. His brother had messaged him earlier to say he approved of the guy, but he was still cautious, wanting to size him up himself.

Shannon let out a breath, she knew he was right, the boys certainly heard threats regularly, which she hated! "what happened then?"

"Said his boss would make things very difficult for me, Mike, Kelly, you, all of us. It was the same old lines they used all the time, except…" Myles said and stopped, this was something he'd been thinking about for the last 2 hours, it was weird!

"Except what?" Gibbs prodded.

"Like that Loch guy, he said he didn't work for MacDonald Fielding." Myles answered &amp; continued "it had happened so quickly after our run in with Loch that I just presumed it was a new line they'd be told to say, but what if it wasn't a line? What if he actually worked for someone else?" he was now wondering if it hadn't been a line, maybe it was something else. What if he'd screwed things up? Crap!

Gibbs could see the boy was clearly wondering if there was something more to it, and now he knew there was, but what was it? that he didn't know! "how long after?"

"2 weeks" Shannon answered "The Admiral had his retirement party one weekend, the next weekend was Kelly's 21st and the one following was when they went down to NOLA" she looked at Myles "its understandable to make that assumption Myles, not your fault" she could see he'd started to wonder if should said something.

"How'd they leave it?" Gibbs asked, he too understood the assumption that he'd made.

"Think they wanted to try to rough me up but by then there were too many people around, he just shoved me and told me I'd screwed up. After that I make sure to walk Kells to &amp; from the auditorium both days &amp; I never ventured very far either" Myles answered, he'd basically stayed as close to her as possible throughout the weekend.

Kelly looked at her friend "That's why you didn't do those bike tours you'd looked at, and why we didn't do that ghost tour?" she saw him nod "you told Mike about it didn't you? You told him, but didn't tell me! Why the hell not!" she was so over this not sharing business &amp; right now if Mike was standing there, she'd yell at him too!

"Yea I told Mike, of course I did! and it was his call to tell you or not Kells, I never challenged him on things like that" Myles answered calmly, he'd never gone against brother's call on these things, after all she was his brother's girlfriend, not his own.

"So it was better to listen to the two of us argue about what we'd do at night time?" Kelly bit back "The weekend now makes so much more sense!" she huffed, between the pair of them they'd basically kept her under watch the entire weekend &amp; their 'outings' were all out in the open amongst hordes of people.

"You know Mike Kells, he'd rather have had a screaming match with you than put you in a situation that could have been problematic &amp; I'd be the same!" Myles retorted trying his best to remain calm.

Tim was just wide eyed as the pair traded words, he was definitely learning a lot. He was surprised though neither were backing down &amp; they were almost standing toe to toe.

"I think we can finish discussing this later, no?" Shannon asked gently. This stand off looked so much like the once or twice she'd seen her daughter in a fight with Mike, not pleasant, but neither would back down &amp; she knew if she didn't break this one up, it would go the same way.

Myles &amp; Kelly both looked towards her &amp; took a deep breath.

"This isn't over" Kelly quietly remarked to her friend

"Yes it is" Myles retorted "you wanna keep it up, do it with Mike not me, it was his decision!"

"Oh he's not getting out of this!" Kelly retorted

Marc couldn't help but smirk, his brothers were so screwed, but then he saw Kelly divert her gaze to him "I had no idea about anything from that weekend!" he insisted, he wasn't getting dragged into this.

Shannon knew what she had to do "did you see him again that weekend Myles?" she asked, they needed to move forward &amp; they needed to get on with it.

"Once" Myles confirmed "late Saturday, I was waiting just outside the auditorium for Kelly to finish &amp; saw them arguing with an older gentleman in a more secluded area of the entrance. I wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but it was fairly heated &amp; they got a little physical."

"Describe the older guy" Gibbs asked, this whole New Orleans thing was rubbing him the wrong way, so many things were now leading them to the same city, it couldn't be a coincidence.

"Pretty tall, 6"2 or so, light hair, maybe light brown or something similar, slim but solid build" Myles answered "I moved closer once it got heated, I was going to intervene if they went too far, but the older guy shoved him against a wall &amp; strode right back into the auditorium. I followed, trying to catch up, but that was right when the symposium was finishing &amp; everyone was leaving, I lost him in the sea of people" he'd tried desperately to catch up to that guy wanting very much to speak to him.

"Put the other headshots out McGee" Gibbs instructed. He was getting more intrigued, confused and angry by the sentence.

Myles surveyed the other headshots "that guy!" he said pointing to one of them "he was the second man in NOLA"

Tim looked at the guy "this one?" he asked, wanting to confirm it, he saw the nod "this is the guy your brother killed" now they'd seen the footage, they knew how that guy ended up dead.

Marc shared a look with his brother "Mike killed him?" guess they missed some of the video, but he wasn't re-watching it.

Tim nodded "Yea, he was one of the first guys that went for Mike, who flipped him and.."

"We don't want to know" Marc said interrupting him, he really didn't want the details about how his brother had killed him.

"Just knowing Mike took care of one of the men that was trying to take Phoenix is enough" Myles added, he really didn't want to look at the video again.

"You never caught a name on the main guy?" Gibbs asked

"Unfortunately not" Myles confirmed "between Mike &amp; I we did a bunch of searches for that Loch guy &amp; him, but we could never find anything, the only thing I can say is he's got a British, maybe Scottish accent, just like Loch"

Gibbs nodded before considered something "think he'd remember you?"

"I'd like to think I made an impression" Myles smirked "why do you ask sir?"

Tim could see where Gibbs was going with this "Donnelly did say he knew of Mike boss"

Gibbs nodded at him before he looked at Myles "because he's downstairs"

Myles eyes widened "you've got him downstairs?" he was floored &amp; saw his brother was too, but he wanted a piece of the guy.

"He's unconscious right now, but yes, we've got him" Gibbs nodded, he wondered if seeing Myles would throw the guy, maybe he'd reveal something. What concerned him though was the hatred Myles was showing towards the guy "I'll consider letting you into the interrogation room with me, but you loose your cool &amp; you're out, clear?"

"Yes sir" Myles replied, he was looking forward to it, he wanted to get as much information as possible to find Phoenix, but he also wanted to make the guy pay for his part in what happened to his brother, he just had to remember to keep control of himself as much as possible.

Gibbs wasn't 100% convinced and looked towards Marc "he looses it &amp; it's on you to remove him"

Marc nodded "yes sir" now he knew what the bastard had done both now &amp; back then, going in there was something he was glad to do, and he'd back his brother up, no matter how it went down in there, even if it did ruffle some feathers.

Shannon was stumped "yes I'm sure that would be most helpful, that's like you saying Mike Franks would be best equipped to remove you from a similar situation" she remarked, the look on both Marcus's &amp; Myles's faces said it all.

Tim smirked, that would probably be an accurate assessment.

Shannon ignored her husband's look &amp; focused on the boys, Myles especially "I don't want you losing your cool Myles, go in &amp; see if he'll react to you, but don't react yourself. You're brother &amp; mother wouldn't want that, its not the way to behave, we don't stoop to their level, we didn't back then &amp; we still don't, do we mister?"

Myles felt like the time had wound back &amp; he was 18 again "no Mrs G"

Shannon smiled at him "good" she turned back to her husband "that is how you ensure people don't 'loose it' as you call it"

Gibbs raised his eyebrow as he considered it "yea, but my way would have made the guy shit his pants"

Myles &amp; Marc both widened their eyes at Gibbs's comment, while they both agreed with the statement they couldn't believe he'd said it.

"You're all the same!" Shannon remarked as she shook her head before turning back to Myles "do you recognise any of the others?"

Myles looked closely at the rest of the photos &amp; saw that Kelly, Marc &amp; even Shannon were all doing likewise "can't say I do unfortunately"

"Me either" Kelly added

"Can't say I recognise any of them either" Shannon remarked.

"We're already running all of them through facial recognition against all the databases" Tim remarked.

Myles was about to say something when he heard his brother's phone ring &amp; stared wondering if it was the hospital, but as his brother took the phone out of his pocket he saw the name on the display. Reaching for it he took hold of it &amp; hung up on the incoming call.

Marc signed "Myles"

"No Marc, not speaking to him, I refuse!" Myles replied tensely.

"He has a right to know" Marc countered

"No he doesn't!" Myles retorted, he saw his brother was going to say something "He doesn't, Mike was right, he has no right anymore, none!"

Marc really didn't want this debate to keep going in front of the others "Let's discuss this outside Myles"

"No need, we're not speaking to him" Myles asserted, he was prepared to dig his heels in on the matter.

"Myles Olyn get yourself out that door!" Marcus asserted to his younger brother. This was one conversation that wouldn't continue in front of the Gibbs family.

Tim watched as the brothers just stared each other down but after a few moments Myles let out a huff &amp; headed out with his older brother hot on his heels.

Shannon wasn't quite sure what or more to the point who that was about "did you see the name Kell?" she asked, though she wondered if this was some how related to that 'family issue' that Mike had mentioned at the game.

"No" Kelly shook her head "not sure what that was about" whatever it was though, both brothers were extremely tense at their conversation.

Gibbs had no idea what the brotherly standoff was about, but the pair were certainly tense. As he looked around the room he realised that they were all just standing there not quite knowing what to do or say next. It was the elephant in the room that they were all trying to avoid… the video. He was about to say something when there was a knock at the door "yea?" he asked.

"Sorry to interrupt boss" Yates remarked stepping inside "he's conscious, Donnelly asked me to let you know"

"I'm coming" Gibbs nodded, he was glad the punk was awake again, and he motioned Yates back out, he looked back towards his family really not sure what to say.

"Don't say it" Shannon remarked "I can't.. let's just get on with things" she just couldn't speak about it, she really couldn't. She put herself into his side "I can't Jethro" she whispered.

Jack had to admit he was with Shannon he couldn't speak about it "Think I might go to the gents room"

Gibbs watched as his dad headed out, he realised they were both right, they didn't have to speak about it, that would just be way too painful! He'd wrapped his arm around his wife &amp; rested his lips again her forehead "ok babe" he whispered. He saw that his girl was standing by the door to his balcony &amp; just staring out, Tim was leaning against the couch watching her, realising he wanted a moment alone with his wife &amp; that Tim would take care of her he led his wife out the door, he'd check on his girl in a short time.

Tim waited until they were alone before heading over to Kelly, wrapping his arms around her waist he held her from behind &amp; brought her into his chest. Resting his head against hers he gave her a kiss and rested his lips against her head "shhh"

Kelly melted back into him, things were just getting way to screwed up.

Tim felt her shift around &amp; bury herself into him, she started to gently sob, wrapping his arms around her tightly he buried his head into her &amp; just held on tight as he felt her grip him even more. While he knew he was her comfort, holding her tightly was soothing himself too, it had been such a crazy thing &amp; seeing it again on playback was such a hard thing to watch!

Tim wasn't sure how long they stayed in that state but he eventually moved them to the couch with her sitting across his lap. She was still nestled into his shoulder, but her sobs had stopped thankfully, he just kept rubbing her back.

Kelly finally lifted her head to Tim, she knew she had tears streaming down her face but when she saw his, it brought another lot of tears to her face, she gently brushed his tears off his cheeks "that was pretty hard" she whispered.

"Yea, it was" Tim replied giving her a sad smile.

"Thanks" Kelly whispered

"For what?'" Tim asked.

"Everything" Kelly replied "rushing for Nix, helping Mike, trying to keep me safe, everything you're doing to try to find him"

"I'm always here for you Kells, always" Tim replied with a smile "we'll find him too Kells, I know we will" What he didn't wanted to voice was what kind of condition Nix would be in given what they saw on the video.

Kelly gave a small nod, she didn't want to voice her agreement, she just couldn't risk saying it &amp; something not working out.

"Sounds like Myles spent a lot of time with you back then" Tim remarked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yea" Kelly replied with a small smile "spent time with him on a lot of weekends, he'd either come to Houston to visit us, or we'd go to Austin to visit him &amp; their family. Mike liked having him around, especially if we were with mum &amp; Nix and had other people around too"

Tim knew what she meant by 'other people'; probably Quinn &amp; his colleagues &amp; he understood why Mike would like having his brother there too "I'm sure it was more than that Kell"

Kelly nodded "did you call your sister back?" she asked wanting to change the subject &amp; knowing he'd gotten a few missed calls from her.

"Yea" Tim nodded "it was just to check in, she's doing ok and everything, said to call when I knew anything more or if she could help"

"Good, thought maybe it might have been your dad" Kelly remarked, she knew their dad wasn't doing too well.

Tim was amazed, with everything going on &amp; the way she'd been coping to all of sudden ask about his dad or any other matter for that fact was amazing "he's doing ok at the moment Kells, don't worry about him, he's too stubborn to go down without a good fight"

"Guess we make a good pairing" Kelly smiled "both got stubborn as mule genes implanted into us"

Tim gave a small chuckle "and then some." This moment with her had calmed him down a fair amount, and knew it had done similar for her, and all he wanted was for them to both be calm. He knew this matter was going to be stressful, so if they could get away for a few moments every one in a while &amp; calm each other down, it would definitely help their frayed nerves.

* * *

**A/N: Looks like Tim &amp; Kelly are back on somewhat of an even-keel for now at least :) And so glad that Mike dealt with a guy that threatened his bro &amp; Kelly back in the day, but who were those guys? Better question, what do all of these guys want? **

**Can Myles help Gibbs get some information? Well, they'll certainly learn some new &amp; quite startling information! And could they finally get a lead on Nix? But what was that standoff between Myles &amp; Marcus about? Arghh.. so much going on! **

**Stay tuned for more soon, you know I love to read your thoughts, so review away!**


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my latest followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, you're all awesome! **

**A military term used in this chapter: helo = helicopter. **

**To my guest reviewers: Sue Dooley: Thanks! Glad you liked it!**

**Momcat: Thank you, the Bond brothers will definitely help them find Nix, and yes Tim &amp; Kelly will continue to progress in their relationship.**

**None: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the Telly moment, there'll be more! And a lead on Nix is coming, but i'm not saying if its a good one..**

**Now lets see how the Bond boys go with the punk in interrogation...**

* * *

"You want to take them in there boss?" Donnelly asked, why would he want these two in there? Besides, she wanted a piece of him!

"Because they've met" Gibbs answered simply.

Silva's eyes widened at this news, really?

Myles felt a dozen eyes on him &amp; his brother "I've had the unfortunate pleasure of having had a conversation with the man" he stated simply.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at this news, she now understood Gibbs reasoning, this should be good "I don't suppose you got a name or anything?" she wondered

"Unfortunately not ma'am, but I'll be glad to get one this time around" Myles answered with a tiny smirk.

"Myles" Shannon remarked

Marcus couldn't help but smirk at his brother, he should have known better, because even though he didn't spend as much time with Mrs G, he knew she was exactly like their mother was.

"I'll behave Mrs G, already promised you that" Myles replied looking at her with a smile on his face.

Shannon eyed the boy "and I know that smile young man, don't forget that" the smile was of a cherisher cat.

"Let's go" Gibbs suggested, he wanted to get on with it &amp; he really couldn't listen to this banter, it too much like family banter &amp; he couldn't hear it right now.

Myles squared his shoulders following Gibbs into the room with his brother right behind him, along with that Agent Donnelly too. He saw that there was another agent &amp; 2 marines already in the room, but they were already on their way out.

Coming around to look the guy squarely in the eyes, he kept clear focus "remember me?" Myles asked frankly

"Well if it isn't baby GI Joe" the man sneered "who's this fly boy?" he sneered towards Marcus.

Myles flipped the chair around &amp; sat down gripping the back "how ya been dickhead?"

"I'm fine" the man replied

"Really?" Myles commented "cause from where I'm sitting you're pretty screwed"

"Think it's your brother that's screwed, his son too" the man sneered finishing by cocking his head towards Gibbs "but then again that family was always screwed, along with whomever came close to them"

Gibbs flared his nostrils, he had to remain calm! But he wanted to rip the man's head off. He considered that it was the right size for a bowling ball… hmm.. he'd come back to that thought.

Myles just stared at him "and as I said back then, there's nothing you can do to frighten me off! I'd never walk away from them &amp; neither would my brothers! We don't desert friends"

Marcus saw the man give his brother a small smirk, it unsettled him.

"You didn't? Think you did, you both did, just like I said would happen if you didn't get lost" the man smirked.

Myles did a double take, what? what was he talking about?

Marcus flashed a look towards Gibbs, seeing if he'd reacted to that statement, he was confused so he wondered if the man was too, but it was mask of stone he saw. "We never abandoned them" he insisted, wanting very much to back his brother up.

"No?" the man asked shifting his gaze to Marcus "transferred to South Korea weren't you? Captain America was deployed to Frankfurt, and you GI Joe, weren't you enrolled at West Point &amp; then deployed to the Middle East? Sounds like other sides of the world to me, sounds like abandonment" the man sneered.

Myles fury rose, what was this guy saying? He or whoever he worked for was responsible for all of their deployments being away from Kelly &amp; Phoenix? He wanted to punch the man in the face!

Donnelly's eyes widened in utter surprise, was this guy saying whoever he worked for had a hand in their deployments on purpose? She flashed a look towards Gibbs &amp; saw no recognition, but knew he'd be shocked as well.

Gibbs couldn't say he wasn't surprised, he was totally shocked! but he knew the level of crap Mac had gone to, so whomever else was there seemed to be on the same level. He knew that both boys were reeling from the news &amp; wanted to give them some time to recover, besides there was something he wanted to say. He took a step towards the table &amp; leaned down with palms flat on the table "you know the difference between these boys &amp; you and your mate from back in NOLA?" he asked simply

"Tell me" the man said cockily.

"They're all still here, they're all breathing, your mate isn't" Gibbs remarked, he stood back up &amp; held his palms out on either side of him "guess he didn't measure up to the high standards of those associated with the Bonds and my family"

Donnelly watched carefully for the reaction &amp; it was instant.

"You fucking bastards! You'll pay for it! How dare you!" the man screamed trying to break free of his shackles.

"How dare them?" Donnelly asked incredibly "it was you &amp; him that attacked Captain Bond &amp; kidnapped Phoenix. He was merely fighting for their lives" seriously how could he say how dare they? How dare him! Asshole!

"Your brother killed him?" the man sneered towards Myles, he saw the look in reply "that's your death warrants signed!" he said venomously again trying to get out his shackles.

Donnelly could see that both Bond brothers as well as Gibbs for that matter wanted to physically assault this man &amp; that wouldn't be wise, so she stepped forward, trying to maintain control of herself "considering you partook in the kidnapping of an NCIS dependent &amp; the assault of a marine officer, a naval officer and an NCIS Agent you can't really talk, you wont be seeing the outside world for a very long time! Your warrant has been signed, sealed &amp; delivered"

Donnelly had the man's full attention &amp; continued "you have one hope of putting a tiny light at the end of your pitch black tunnel &amp; that is to tell us what we want to know. Where did they take Phoenix?! Where is Commander Kaplan?!" she demanded

"I don't snitch" the man sneered

Myles had had enough, standing up he tossed the chair clear &amp; closed the gap, slamming his hand down onto the table before grabbing the man by the hair "If Loch hurts him I swear to the almighty that I will rip him &amp; you limb from limb! I'm not fucking afraid, never was! You wanna keep pissing us off &amp; you'll regret it!" he barked, finally letting go of his head.

Tony had come to watch hoping the guy could shed some light on his sister's whereabouts and his eyes widened, Myles looked utterly furious!

Marcus had closed a small gap between him &amp; his brother, but he'd let his brother go with it, however when he saw the dickhead spit in his brother's face he couldn't hang back anymore "you fuckwit!" he snarled as he moved even closer "you ever met Drew Johnston or Michael Barret?"

Gibbs had already motioned Donnelly to stand down, he'd let the boys have a little leeway, and he wondered where Marcus was going with this now, he knew the men, both were Mac's men, now dead men.

Marcus saw that the names held recognition for the guy, but he wasn't going to admit it "you know that bump on Johnston's nose that never seemed to heal? That was courteous of Myles, he broke his nose. Barret's jaw that always seemed to click in &amp; out of place? Mike! And I'd gladly have done my part if required! I'd gladly still do my part!" he finished menacingly.

Ziva's eyes widened, she hadn't known just how close this family seemed to have been back in Houston with Gibbs's family, but they were obviously very close if these boy's had gone rounds with Mac's men.

"And look how it ended up!" the man sneered "you &amp; your brother both got shit assignments!" he snarled towards Myles.

Myles eyed him, he remembered his first deployment in the Middle East had been rather shit &amp; he also remembered his brother complaining that his first stint in Frankfurt had been bad too, were they both orchestrated as payback? He snarled approaching again, he needed to hurt this man!

Tristan opened the door "I need you three now" she said quickly to Gibbs &amp; the Bond brothers, for one she knew the trio were ready to rip the man's head off, like right now! And for another she actually needed them for something, fairly, well damn urgently!

Gibbs wanted to say no, but the look on Tristan's face said she had news &amp; he saw Vella &amp; Johns enter the room, ready to take over. He went to go &amp; walked behind the Bond brothers, having to almost push them out the door.

Tristan knew the trio were angry, especially the Bond brothers "I've already asked Agent Lovett to look into your assignments, if we find a link to anyone connected with MacDonald or whoever is now involved, they will be dealt with" she said wanting to beat them to the punch.

Gibbs was glad Tristan was already onto it, he was seething that these boys had been dealt such raw hands by MacDonald &amp; whoever else was in this shit. He didn't think the guy was wrong, because he'd experienced the crap that he'd made happen. He knew the pair were angry, Myles definitely more than Marcus &amp; he definitely understood it, he took a breath "hey" he called the boy motioning him closer to himself with his finger.

Myles was beyond angry, and went towards Gibbs he wasn't sure what to expect, but the man had taken half a dozen steps down the hall &amp; opened a door to a room.

"Go!" Gibbs ordered him into the room.

Myles wasn't sure what he supposed to do in the room until he stepped in &amp; saw that in the far corner was a punching bag! He walked straight up to it &amp; released as much anger &amp; frustration in one hit "arggh!" he vented.

Gibbs watched as Myles gave the bag a solid punch, a very solid one, it reverberated quite a bit. He considered doing it himself, but now wasn't the time. This single bag had been an addition by his predecessor, Michael's had introduced it as way for agents to relieve frustration without the need to go down to the gym &amp; have a full workout. A quick punch and release of frustration did wonders, he'd taken the concept on board &amp; really thought it had great merit!

Marcus had followed his brother, he was shocked &amp; angry but he knew his brother was beyond angry &amp; he watched as gave an almighty punch, he was glad he could get some frustration out.

Tristan allowed Myles to get the frustration out &amp; only spoke once she heard the punch had occurred "we've got a hit on the BOLO that was issued for the car that took Phoenix" she knew the reaction would be instant.

"Where?!"!" Gibbs demanded, finally! He'd heard the others all ask too, Myles had even hastened his pace.

Tony's eyes widened &amp; he shared a look with Ziva, finally a lead!

Tristan started walking with Gibbs next to her "Over in Potenza, it's about a 2 hour drive away, the SUV &amp; another one was found at an abandoned airstrip. Brunswick's team has hitched a ride with Lt Col Morris who arranged for the one of the marine units from Frankfurt to go with them aboard a helo, they should be there within the 15 minutes" As soon as they'd gotten the call Brunswick had basically ran from the building &amp; Lt Col Morris hadn't been far behind. He had wanted to find the people who had now harmed 2 of his people, she definitely understood it.

"Airstrip?" Gibbs asked, he couldn't help but pale, did that mean his son had been put on a plane? Shit! That could mean he could be anywhere! How on earth would he tell his family this one?!

"I'm afraid so" Tristan remarked "a local LEO got a call about lights on at the abandoned airstrip &amp; when they arrived all they found were the SUV's, and no lights"

Gibbs cursed again, shit! To him that meant it was a stealth flight, one that wouldn't be on the radar, how the hell do they track that?

"What direction is Potenza? And what time were the lights reported ma'am?" Marcus asked, he'd switched on as soon the word 'airstrip' was mentioned.

"Potenza is South East and it was about an hour ago that the lights went off" Tristan remarked.

Marcus flashed a look to his brother as he grabbed his phone &amp; dialled "Anderson, I need all the data we have on the blackbird, everything! Find out from the terminal who else reported it. Get the data together, and get it &amp; the maps over here to me, and I want it yesterday!"

Gibbs, Tristan, even Tony &amp; Ziva wondered what this conversation was about, clearly it was related.

"And tell Lewis I want the bird fuelled &amp; ready for immediate departure, I need it ready to go at a moments notice, and I want the fuel tanks filled to the brim, with backup containers in the storage lockup too" Marcus finished, he needed the plane ready to go, and ready now!

Gibbs had arrived back into the bullpen just as Marcus finished his conversation but he saw his family, he was going to say something.

"We know Jethro" Shannon remarked coming closer, she saw the surprised look "I asked Megan to let you keeping going with that man until.. well, either you got something or needed to be pulled out" whilst she had much preferred to have told him as soon as they heard, there was nothing he'd be able to do until Jess got there to report, and she wanted him focused.

Kelly really didn't like the fact that her brother was now who knew where? But she wanted to know something "did he say anything?"

Myles &amp; Marcus both shared a look wondering what on earth to say, they both looked to Gibbs for guidance.

Gibbs knew that if they told them what the guy had said both his girls would be angry &amp; upset to say the least! "nothing useful, only stuff to further incriminate himself &amp; the others" he'd tell them later about it. Before either of his girls could say anything though he looked towards Marcus "what was your conversation about? Blackbird?"

"On our flight here we almost had a head-on collision with another aircraft, a plane that wasn't on radar, something we refer to as a 'blackbird'. I only saw it at the last moment &amp; pulled us up to avoid it" Marcus answered "it failed all of our hails, so we logged it &amp; took as many reading as we could &amp; passed it on to the tower as a warning to other planes in the area &amp; to see if anyone could make contact. My Lieutenant will bring all the data we took down, but the direction it came from matches" he was now utterly furious with himself he should have pursed them! Damn it!

"Which way was it headed?" Gibbs asked, he did not believe in coincidences!

"North sir" Marcus responded "we were at 45,000ft and had just gone past Venice &amp; were over the Adriatic Sea, our visual tracking saw it go north, and then maybe turn north-west"

Tim pulled up at map on the nearest plasma screen &amp; was trying to work out the rough location.

"Agent McGee I think this would be best done up in MTAC, you can contact towers more easily" Tristan remarked.

"Let's go" Gibbs agreed, he threaded his fingers in with his wife as they started walking "doesn't matter where he goes, we'll find him Shan, we'll follow him anywhere"

Shannon just nodded, she couldn't believe her son was now who knew where?

"My bird will be ready for departure as soon as we need it Mrs G, and blackbirds can be tracked, done it before &amp; you can be certain I will do it again, I'll find where that plane went" Marcus said confidently when they reached the top of the stairs.

Shannon could see the determination in his face "well then lets get in there mister"

"I'll then rip Loch apart" Myles muttered

Tim flashed a look to the guy, he was looking murderous! He wondered just what the guy had told them to make him so angry!

Gibbs was almost at the door when he realised Kelly and his dad weren't with them, he turned to his wife "where's Kelly?"

"She has her head buried in her laptop, says she wants to check something, Jack will stay with her, I don't think she can cope unless she is occupied" Shannon answered, her girl hadn't uttered a single word, just kept her head buried in her laptop.

Gibbs nodded, his girl was taking this all very hard, like they were, maybe being occupied was a good thing for her. And he'd do the same, and the first thing that they had to do was to find this blackbird, he'd then join Myles in ripping Loch limb from limb!

* * *

**A/N: This is not a good turn of events, at all! Nix is now possibly who knows where? But Brunswick still has to process the scene, so maybe she'll get details.. but if he has gone, Marcus will be working his butt off to find that blackbird, like he said, they are not untraceable, he's done it before &amp; he WILL do it again!**

**That says nothing for what Gibbs &amp; the Bond brothers heard in that room, did Mac &amp; whoever is now involved orchestrate Mike's and his brothers deployments away from Kelly &amp; her family? Myles is certainly not one happy person right now!**

**And I hate to say it, but it may get worse before it gets better… Hollis &amp; Delilah have been rather quiet lately.. could there be something there to give cause for concern.. we're going to start to learn some very important things soon!**

**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so please review away! More up soon..**


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my recent followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us on this continuing adventure! To my reviewers, thank you so ****much! I really love hearing your thoughts, so keep them coming.**

**Guest Reviewers:**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks, glad you liked the chapter, yes, they're be angry, ****suspense &amp; more in the chapters ahead.**

**Momcat: Thanks for the review! Yes, Nix's situation will go bad before it gets better. As for Shannon's antics, you're right, its her way of dealing with the situation to stop herself from crumbling. The man in interrogation is certainly a jerk! **

**Without further ado, lets get into it. Suffice to say, we're starting to really get into things &amp; while things will be confusing, they are definitely starting to learn things, big things are coming! **

* * *

Gibbs looked at the large map that was on the screen in front of him, Marcus &amp; his Lt had gotten many alerts about 'blackbirds' and they were being plotted, but he couldn't work out which way the plane was travelling, there were dots in various directions. His other issue was time, they'd been at it for an hour or so already, he knew it wouldn't be a quick, but every moment his son was getting potentially thousands of miles away.

"I don't think our blackbird went east over Serbia &amp; Romania sir" Anderson remarked

Marcus agreed "remove the positions over those regions &amp; the ones south over Corisca &amp; Malta, let's concentrate over Central Europe" they were still plotting all the blackbird sightings the towers had received but as the locations came through he could tell the blackbird wasn't going east or south, so they could stop plotting those &amp; concentrate on the area remaining, he had to find **_their_** blackbird!

Tristan saw there were now positions over Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium &amp; the UK &amp; the list was growing, there just wasn't a clear pattern for a route.

Shannon knew this would take time, but she just wanted to know where her boy was!

Marcus looked around &amp; saw numerous frustrated faces "this could still take a bit of time" he hated giving that answer, but this wasn't a quick thing to achieve.

"Boss!" Kruse called coming into MTAC "Kelly's asked for you to go see her, she says she's got something, she's also getting angry" but she wasn't getting angry! She was already there!

"I've got this sir, I'll find that plane!" Marcus asserted.

Gibbs nodded &amp; led his wife, Tim &amp; Myles back out and as soon as he cleared the door he heard it, heard her, his girl was angry!

"Where is she?!" Kelly demanded look furiously at Hollis.

"She said she was going out to get some air quickly, what seems to be the problem?" Hollis replied, my gosh, she felt like she was in a match off with Gibbs!

"Kell, what's wrong, where's who?" Gibbs asked her getting down there &amp; placing himself between her &amp; Hollis.

"That Delilah lady!" Kelly answered

Gibbs eyes widened and his nostrils flared, he knew it!

"Why are you looking for her?" Shannon asked hesitantly.

"That exchange between Lancert &amp; Withers, she fucked up the decryption!" Kelly exclaimed taking a further step towards Hollis "where is she?!"

"Who's Delilah?" Myles asked curiously

"What's wrong with her decryption?" Tim asked at the same time.

"One of my analysts, Delilah Fielding" Hollis answered

Myles flared his nostrils instantly, Fielding? What the heck?!

"No relation" Tim instantly said.

"That we know of McGee" Gibbs remarked, his gut had never settled on her &amp; now that his girl said she'd stuffed something up, he really wondered if that was true "where is she Hollis?"

"Like I already said, she said she wanted some air to clear her head, I'm sure she'll back soon" Hollis answer him "and I doubt she got the decryption wrong, she is one of the finest analysts we have, she knows her stuff" she thought Delilah would know decryptions a right side better than Kelly, I mean she was a lawyer, not a computer analyst.

"It wasn't a damn decryption!" Kelly huffed.

Gibbs saw Lt Carter "Carter!" he barked

"Sir?" Carter approaching

"Find me DOD Analyst Delilah Fielding, now!" Gibbs barked.

"Yes sir" Carter answered, instantly speaking into his radio "Need a location on DOD Analyst Delilah Fielding, ASAP!" he finished already walking towards the stairs.

"My team will help" Myles remarked as he grabbed his phone, texting Montgomery "See Lt Cater, there's someone you're finding, I want her now! **_Now Staff Sargent!_**"

Gibbs nodded towards Myles, he welcomed the extra bodies to find her. He turned back to his girl "what did she get wrong Kells?"

"She just ran a translation program over it, that's it! It translated the sentences from Latin &amp; Old English to modern English, no actual decryption!" Kelly said, trying to regain composure.

That confused Tim "Kell she said ran a cypher over it"

"Well she didn't!" Kelly replied briskly, she turned to the nearest plasma "that's part of the original exchange" she said pointing at top half of the screen "that is what she translated it to" she said pointing to the bottom half.

Shannon looked at the screen "Kell my Latin is a little rusty"

"Mine isn't Mrs G" Myles said as he came to look at the screen, he looked over the sentences, one was in Latin, the next was in Old English "this is weird"

"It's a direct translation, isn't it? from both Latin &amp; Old English" Kelly remarked

"Yea you're right, it's a direct translation" Myles nodded as he looked at the lower part of the screen "you wouldn't need a cypher to translate this, but the sentences don't make sense, the dates, locations don't align within the initial structure"

"The dates were from the past" Tim commented

"That's all well &amp; good &amp; seeing it translated does make sense, looking at it in modern English makes perfect sense, but to anyone who knows Latin &amp; old English it makes no sense, none" Kelly remarked, she understood why Tim thought it was a good translation, because it was.

"And you know Latin &amp; old English that well?" Hollis asked, this girl thought she knew law, computers &amp; now what? Latin &amp; old English?

"Yes" Kelly answered "I did study Shakespeare at school, and as for Latin well, learnt that too &amp; that continued after school" all those extra classes her mum had her in were really paying off!

Shannon smiled "she certainly learnt a great deal when she was younger"

"As did I, and I still use it today" Myles remarked "and these sentences make no sense"

"Unless you run an actual decryption over it" Kelly remarked "run one in Latin to begin with"

"Kell, you're talking about running a decryption in Latin? We don't have time to create that!" Tim remarked, that could take days! No, weeks! He saw a look in her eyes "you've already got one? Seriously?"

"Well… yea" Kelly replied "but we don't have time to get into it" she took a breath "I ran my decryption over the exchange.."

"Sorry, but if half is in old English…" Hollis said trying to ask something

"Hollis, be quiet &amp; let her finish, we don't have time for your thousand questions!" Gibbs barked, he couldn't let her continuously interrupt his girl.

Hollis took a step back, she was clearly in a minority of one that would even dare to ask a question.

Kelly couldn't help but smirk but she thought she'd answer the question "A large portion of the English language comes from Latin, regardless that many people think its of Germanic origins. So using Latin to decrypt the sentence can show another level of hidden meanings." She answered her briskly "anyway, I ran my program over it &amp; this is what it translated it to"

Myles took a step closer as he read what Loch wrote "Praecipui loci congregentur ad opus. Carlisle illa die - non erit - ut ne tardaveris"

"What does that mean?" Ziva asked, Latin was not a language she knew, I mean it was dead language, why would you need that?

"Important situation, need to meet to discuss. Carlisle same time same place - **_HE_** will be there - so do not be late" Myles answered

"Carlisle?" Gibbs, Tony &amp; Ziva all asked at the same time. The trio shared a look, that was one of the locations from the list that Le Salle read out that Patricia had written in New Orleans.

"That's what the exchange says, it goes on" Kelly remarked

"I want double the money, the last job was risky enough, and your family can afford it. They own half of the UK!" Myles read what Withers said translated of course.

Kelly continued with what Loch replied with "Be very careful with what you demand Withers! We are not to be messed with, remember everything we've done! So be very careful with what you demand from **_him_**"

Gibbs gave it a moments thought, "where is Carlisle exactly?" he asked

"Far north England, 10 miles south of the Scottish border boss" Kruse answered "its actually not far from where we located the previous meeting between him &amp; Guthrie boss, they met in Greta, which is 20 minutes north of Carlisle &amp; its just over the Scottish border"

"Did the emails say anything else?" Ziva asked

"They argued about fees, and about using Guthrie or not" Kelly explained putting up the rest of the exchange but just the English translation.

Gibbs read it, this was such a raw exchange, the pair obviously didn't think anyone could crack it "have we found any exchanges between Loch &amp; anyone else?" the immediate group all shook their heads he turned &amp; whistled drawing everyone's attention "has anyone found any more email exchanges?!" he barked

"Ah I think I just found something boss" Lambert remarked as she approached him "I managed to get into…"

"I don't care how you did it, just show us the emails!" Gibbs barked.

"Ahh.. yes boss, here you go" Lambert stuttered passing the USB to Tim "I haven't been able to track the sender's IP or get any details yet of who they are"

Kelly waited for Tim to insert the USB, she brought up the details "this is in the same code, give me a minute to decrypt it"

Tim watched as she ran her program over it, this code was really strange, I mean it was for Latin, but it was very unique, similar to her unique coding language for her other stuff, but not quite the same "where'd you get this from?"

"That doesn't matter McGee!" Gibbs barked, seriously it didn't matter right now!

Tim swallowed but nodded.

Myles looked at the screen, she'd decrypted it &amp; he started to read &amp; his eyes widened, what the heck?

"Myles? What does it say?" Shannon asked, she knew he'd already read it, she knew he had a very solid grasp of Latin, his mother had all of her boys learn it, and they still read Latin when in church, they were very traditional that.

"Ahh" Myles "sorry, it says 'Necesse est, contra omnes prope Cumas inventum est . Missusque secundo opus non erit genus eorum non nunc! Non iterum illa! non umquam Sunt in genere significatur dominari! Fac contingit illud! Et non accipitis peccatum! Alexandrum maxime pati!"

"Which means?" almost everyone asked.

"We need to move against them all, she is getting close to finding him. I will not have our family loose to them! not now! not again! not ever! We are the family meant to rule! Make it happen! I will not accept failure! Alexander is to suffer most of all!" Myles remarked, he didn't quite get it, but it was getting mixed up, that's the least he knew.

"Alexander? Lawrence Alexander?" Tony wondered "if this is a family feud what's he got to do with it? And this doesn't even make sense! How can it be a family thing when we aren't even related!" nothing was making sense to him.

"Beats me" Gibbs remarked, he was on the same page as Tony, nothing was making sense but hang on "Mac's relatives, those cousins.. they were in Scotland weren't they?"

"Northern Scotland boss, Isle of Skye" Tim confirmed "cousins through his mother, but they hadn't seen or heard from Mac since he was a teenager boss, they weren't that close"

Tristan entered the area, she knew they were discussing something important but she had news "Sorry to interrupt, but I've just heard from the hospital, your brother is still in surgery, but Jonas is in recovery" she looked to Wu who was now staring at her "I told the nurse to call you Wu once he's ready to talk" she then shifted her gaze back to Gibbs &amp; Shannon "I also just heard from Brunswick, they're going through the 2 SUV's and the surrounding area, she has though found Phoenix's wallet &amp; what she thinks is his watch, is this it?" she asked showing them a photo of what Brunswick had found.

Gibbs looked at the photo "yea, that's his watch" it was his son's sports watch, the Certina one him &amp; Shannon had bought him when they got to Naples as a reward for his hard work, and even from the picture he could see it was cracked.

Shannon looked at the picture &amp; her heart broke, she needed her boy in her arms!

Gibbs took a deep breath there was one question he needed to ask, but he wasn't sure he wanted to but he did need to "any signs of…... Blood?" he finished taking a firm hold of his wife.

Kelly's eyes widened at her dad &amp; then she stared at Tristan.

Tristan saw that everyone was focused on her now, even those who working at their own desks were now looking at her &amp; waiting "Jess has found a small amount in the backseat, along with some in the front passenger seat. We know Phoenix was in the backseat &amp; she wanted me to stress that it wasn't a lot of blood, just some minor traces is all" she looked to make sure that her point had been taken on board with both Shannon &amp; Gibbs, she then flashed Kelly a small smile again trying to convey the message, once she'd done so she continued "they're taking samples &amp; will get them to the labs, they stripping the SUV's, looking for everything inside &amp; out, they're combing the entire airstrip. Jess has her team spread out with the platoon of marines to check every inch of the place"

Gibbs nodded in thanks &amp; understanding "he's fine Shan, he's fine" he moved over to his girl "he's fine angel, trace amounts are barely anything, he's fine, ok?"

Kelly nodded "yea"

Gibbs then shared a look with his dad, there were no words, but it was a silent conversation that both men shared their concern &amp; relief that there wasn't a lot of blood.

Shannon tried to shift her utter worry out of her mind, because if it stayed there, she'd crumble. Looking at her girl who was just staring at her computer screen "darling how you doing?"

"Don't know" Kelly admitted, if she crumbled now it wouldn't help, so she tried to clear her head &amp; decided to ask something that had been bugging her for a short time "I'm wondering though, why would they make such sensitive comments over email" Kelly wondered

"Kell it's not like anyone would know how to decrypt that" Tim remarked, if would help all of them to stay focused on what they could deal with, rather than worry about what they couldn't control "I wouldn't even have thought of that! Decrypting within a now dead language before translating it isn't really an obvious thing to do" it was one thing to use a dead language, but usually that was just code for something translatable, not requiring decryption within the dead language before translation! "how'd you know how to do it like that?"

Shannon saw her girl just staring at him "sweetheart what is it?"

Kelly looked at her mum, she looked to her dad &amp; then Myles "it was an idea from one of the lecturers I had while I was in New Orleans. He said that people would use Latin to write correspondence to throw people off, so having a decryption written could one day help" she took a breath as she recalled it "his name was Alex" she whispered.

Gibbs looked around the room, everyone was getting more confused "the guy that taught you this decryption was from NOLA, and his name was Alex?" he needed to verify.

"Yea, it was" Kelly nodded, suddenly coming to the same confused state everyone else was in.

"None of this makes any sense" Shannon remarked.

Myles wasn't really understanding everything &amp; he was stretching out as he paced when he came up behind Tony's desk and caught sight of the image on the screen "Ahh, who's this guy?" he asked pointing to the screen.

Tony came around to look at what he was looking at "That's Lawrence Alexander" he answered, he'd kept it up on his screen because there was something nagging him about the guy.

"That's the man that adopted your sister?" Myles asked him, they'd been caught up on everything already.

"Yea it is, why?" Tony asked back

"Because that's the guy that had the run in with the arsehole downstairs!" Myles exclaimed "that's the older guy from NOLA!"

"Plasma!" Gibbs ordered instantly.

Kelly watched as Tony feed the image to the screen, she hadn't seen any images of him yet, she looked at it for a good a minute or two, and then it came back to her "oh my g-d! That's him! That's Alex!"

Gibbs shifted his gaze to his girl, and he stared at her wide-eyed "this guy was the one that taught you that decryption?"

"Yes!" Kelly answered, what the heck was going on!?

Jack's eyes widened, this man seemed to be the centre of so man things it wasn't funny, just who on earth was this man? and how on earth did it all fall together? And what did he have to do with his grandson's disappearance? There were so many questions, but knowing who this man seemed to be a key to answering so many of them.

* * *

**A/N: Hmm… where to start? Did Delilah make the mistake on purpose or did she merely fall into the trap of translating without decrypting like even Tim said he would have done? And just who on earth is this Lawrence Alexander or Alex as Kelly knew him? Everything seems to be really zoning into him, but how is he related to ****everything? And could anyone else recognise him too? That's the question...**

**Now, with this verse maintaining its popularity i have decided to create a Facebook page, its a place where i will post updates, some images, even thinking about polls to get your feedback on various situations in the story. Its also a place i want people to ask questions if they have any or if i use any Australian language you don't understand.**

**Go to Facebook &amp; then /More-Than-He-Dreamed-Of-verse-1672091333008701/ ****or search 'More Than He Dreamed Of verse' in the pages area**

**You know i love to hear your thoughts so review away, more up soon! I promise!**


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my latest followers/favourites, welcome! So glad to have you with us on this continuing adventure! To my reviewers, you rock! I really love &amp; appreciate reading your thoughts/comments! They inspire me!**

**To Guest Reviewers: Helen Belen: Thank you so much! Glad you like it!**

**Sue Dooely: Thanks! And yes, I know who Mr Hitchcock is, but I wouldn't myself into his league! **

**Momcat: Thanks! Tony's sister &amp; nephew's disappearance is definitely still on the top of their radar, and yes, its going in tandem with Nix's. As for Lawrence Alexander, well.. that's the big question at the moment, and why did he teach Kelly that decryption.. well, time will tell!**

**Now, who's this man? Could someone else know him? Let's see what's next..**

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"Are we saying that this man adopted Tony's sister, sent money to Kelly, got into a standoff &amp; argument with men that were associated with someone that knew Mac and taught Kelly how to decrypt their exchanges?" Tim asked, he was dumbfounded! Who was this man?

Gibbs saw everyone flash each other looks asking each other whether that was really possible, and whom this guy was "Tony, heard from Fornell?" Fornell was doing background work on the man, looking at his charge he got no answer, he was just staring at the image "Tony" he called again.

Tony suddenly came out of his haze "sorry"

"What?" Gibbs asked, he was still staring at the screen

"I….. I….." Tony was it? Wasn't it?

"You what?" Gibbs asked "Don't tell me you've seen the guy too?"

"I think I might have boss" Tony finally answered, he'd been staring at the images for ages &amp; something suddenly clicked.

"Where?" Gibbs asked, he wasn't really believing it, I mean really?

"I think it was in Atlantic City, before I moved to Baltimore PD" Tony replied "I'd just finished my stint at Philly &amp; wasn't sure where I was going next" as he stared at the image &amp; as he thought more about that night he grew more certain.

Kelly couldn't say she wasn't surprised, she was totally shocked! But then again, she was shocked that this man had done so much in relation to her family &amp; Tony's it seemed? Who was he?

"I had gone down to the boardwalk, I was just trying to relax &amp; work out where I wanted to go, ended up at a bar &amp; sat there for a while" Tony said, he took a breath "he came up to sit down next to me &amp; soon enough we just started talking, he seemed so…."

"Easy to talk to" Kelly supplied, the more she thought about the time in NOLA the more she remembered.

"Yea" Tony agreed "he really listened to everything I was saying, I'd never had that before, and it just felt so easy to keep going" the guy had really just listened to everything he was saying.

"What did he say?" Ziva asked, she too couldn't believe everything she was hearing.

"Nothing to start with" Tony answered "it was all me, I was trying to decide whether to take up the Baltimore offer or head out to California where a frat brother had moved to &amp; said they had openings in their detective ranks, I was really leaning towards going, but by the end of the conversation I had done a total U-turn and come to the conclusion to take up the Baltimore offer" he took a breath &amp; looked around "best decision I've ever made" his life would have been completely different had he gone to California &amp; not Baltimore, and who knew what it would have given him in life?

Gibbs had to smile, if he hadn't ended up in Baltimore they'd never have met &amp; this team wouldn't be what it was. His life would have totally different if Tony hadn't gone to Baltimore, that's for sure! He then had a thought "how'd you get to that decision?"

Tony thought about it for a moment "ran through some pro's &amp; con's" he remarked, he thought more about it again "I remember him saying that being closer to DC could help if I ever wanted to shift to a federal position, guess that was right"

"He say anything else?" Gibbs asked, he was starting to wonder something.

Tony took another thoughtful moment "said he felt like I was more suited to the east coast, and that he felt I was a soul that was suited to Baltimore, recommended I get a place close to Lexington Markets, said I'd really love it" he took a breath "and honestly, he was right, I basically lived in that precinct" he remembered scoping that area out first on his recommendation, and didn't look anywhere else, it did suit him.

Gibbs looked at him "so he basically convinced you to go to Baltimore"

"Yea, I guess that's one way of looking at it" Tony nodded, he could see a thought forming "you think it was deliberate?"

"I honestly have no idea, but after everything else he's done, I wouldn't it past him" Gibbs remarked, who was this damn man!? And what would he gain from having Tony go to Baltimore?

"Why would he do that?" Tristan asked, she was honestly dumbfounded by it all, but she couldn't help but notice that Shannon had taken a few steps back &amp; was staring off into space.

Gibbs shook his head, he had no idea, but he looked towards his girl "anything stand out from your conversations with him?"

Kelly had been thinking about it quite a bit "he just seemed really caring, and easy to talk to, he knew his stuff that's for sure."

"Were you the only one he taught that decryption to?" Tim asked

"He talked to a small a group of us about it, maybe 6, about different ways to decrypt exchanges in different languages. It was an informal session over lunch one day as it wasn't part of the normal curriculum of the symposium" Kelly answered.

"It wasn't an official session?" Tim asked

Kelly shook her head "no, but many of the people who were running the sessions did informal sessions like him over lunch. It was basically all that happened over lunch, they'd come &amp; sit down &amp; start talking. We'd gravitate to the conversations that interested us the most" she thought that wasn't all that strange to her.

Gibbs flashed his wife a look, she was by the window staring out into the dawn sun. He turned back to his girl "anything else Kells?"

Kelly gave it another moments consideration "at the end of that informal session he did pull me to the side for a one on one chat. We talked for a little while, he seemed impressed that I had already completed my double degree &amp; said that I should never stop learning" she took a breath when she remembered something else "he said it was a testament to my parents that I had been able to be so grounded &amp; achieve so much at the age I was"

It was at that point that Gibbs noticed his wife had instantly walked off, he watched as she headed straight up the stairs and into his office, he saw both his daughter &amp; dad give him a look of concern "stay on everything" he said, before he gave chase.

Arriving in his office he was greeted by a scene of his wife curled up on the floor, back against the couch, knees drawn to her chest &amp; her head buried into herself. What he didn't understand was, was this a result of everything mounting up or something that had just been set off by this man? because she'd fled almost as soon as their girl had finished speaking.

Sitting himself down next to her, he tried pulling her into him but she resisted, she even buried her head into herself even deeper. He was a little taken aback by her refusal to let him sooth her, it took a moment to compute what she'd done. Whatever the cause of this was, was something pretty big he thought &amp; he wondered if it was to do with that man. Deciding on a different way of showing her that he was there, he moved to sit on the couch, just above her &amp; started to rub her upper back, shoulder &amp; neck. He leaned down &amp; kissed her head "I'm here for you babe" he whispered into her ear.

* * *

Kelly wasn't sure what had set her mum off, but she saw emotion all over her face &amp; did want to go up &amp; see her, but knew it was probably best to let her dad handle it.

Myles could see that while a number of the agents had all watched Shannon &amp; Gibbs both depart rather quickly, they'd gotten back to work. He saw his friend was a little off &amp; approaching he spoke softly "hey why don't we go up &amp; see how Marc's doing KG"

Kelly looked at her friend &amp; nodded "yea" keeping her head focused on anything was a good thing "we'll be back soon" she said to Tim.

"Be up soon" Tim replied, he saw her head off upstairs with Myles, as well as her grandfather, he saw though that as they headed up the stairs Myles had brought her into his side. He realised that they were friendly, and while he wasn't jealous he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at it, he wanted to be the one to be helping her with everything, but he also had a job to do. So he'd have to do the job and maybe realise that helping her would be a burden shared.

Hollis had kept quiet during that entire discussion, she was playing catch up &amp; would need to get some clarification on some of the points, as she wasn't getting everything, but it seemed that no one was getting it all, so that at least made her feel better. She had to wonder though if Kelly had a point about her analyst, could it have been deliberate, but not McGee had said he'd make the same mistake &amp; that code did seem rather particular, I mean who would have that pre-written?

"Give me the altitudes of all the remaining positions please" Marcus requested "It's a gulfstream class, so it wouldn't drop below 20,000ft either, remove all of them from the screen" he mused out loud when he saw his brother, Kelly &amp; Jack walk in.

Myles looked at the screen, there was now only a splattering of positions over Central Europe, but not really in any kind of flight route he'd consider normal.

Marcus was trying to work out the pattern to these positions "any sightings from the Netherlands towers yet?" he asked checking his watch.

"Nothing yet sir" Anderson answered as he checked the log on his laptop "wait a sec, there's a blackbird sighting from just north of Hamburg sir, 39,000ft"

"Further north Anderson" Marcus ordered, he could start to see something taking shape.

"Got one! 110 nautical miles off the Danish coast, near Esberg, 41,000ft" Anderson reported, he kept reading "spotted heading west"

"Where are you up to Marc?" Myles asked his brother.

"Think we're getting something, we're zoning in" Marcus confirmed, he shifted his gaze to Kelly, he saw something in her eyes but he wasn't sure what it was "what is it?"

Myles flashed Kelly a look before answering "that older guy that had had the run in with the dickhead downstairs in NOLA…"

"What about him?" Marcus asked

"He's the same guy that adopted Tony's sister, the same guy that sent Kells the money for her &amp; squirt to live off, the same guy that taught Kells a decryption technique she just used on Loch's email's exchanges, and the same guy that apparently pushed Tony into accepting a position in Baltimore PD over going to California" though the last one he wasn't 100% of the major significance of that.

"Jethro met Tony when he was working for the Baltimore Police Department &amp; brought him over to NCIS, if he had not been there, they never would have met" Jack added

Marcus's eyes were just wide "do we know who this guy is?"

Jack shook her head "no, there is no history on the man much before he adopted Patricia" he took a breath "have you found anything yet Marcus?" he could see his granddaughter was still preoccupied &amp; not really able to help, she was obviously worried about her mother &amp; he couldn't say he wasn't. It had been such an instant reaction, he was concerned with what had set it off.

"I thing we are sir. We are getting close to finding the flight path of the black bird that nearly ran into us" Marcus answered before turning back to the screen.

"And?" Myles asked his brother, he could see he was in deep thought.

Marcus flashed him a look before turning his attention to one of the MTAC operators "Mancheeny, I need you to connect the positions, if the altitude drops mark it red, if it rises mark it black. Start at the position we identified, and connect it to the one in Switzerland, follow it through to the one in lower France, then southern Germany, then northern France…"

Myles watched as his brother identified each position, he was now seeing the route that the plane had taken, where the hell was it going though? It was crisscrossing across the continent.

"Hamburg to Esberg, now just mark it out west towards the UK for 200 nautical miles please" Marcus said finishing up. He turned towards his Lt "any other sighting Lieutenant?"

"Nothing in the area yet sir, I'll keep checking" Anderson replied

* * *

Gibbs wasn't sure how long it had been but she'd not moved an inch, she wasn't crying loudly, but her breathing was laboured, so she was definitely letting some emotion out "shh babe, I'm here" he soothed, he just kept trying to sooth her as best as he could. He'd tried to get her off the floor, he'd tried to get her to talk, he'd tried to get her to move, anything, but she'd not budged.

He wasn't sure if this was everything finally catching up to her, but he didn't think so. The further they'd discussed things downstairs the more quiet she became, and when the photo came up she'd even moved a little back towards the wall &amp; window. He had put it down to her trying to think about everything &amp; really it was a lot to take in, he was still processing it. But there had to be a reason for her departure.

He was leaned forward soothing her when he saw a flash of light emanate from beneath his wife, he leaned to the side to try to get a look at what it was. He noticed that she had her phone sitting right under her drawn knees &amp; it was open to an image, she was obviously looking at something, but what? If only he could get a better look at it, but he'd have to physically move her &amp; that wasn't happening right now. He just wondered what could she possibly be looking at while in this state?

* * *

**A/N: So the plot thickens! Tony recognises him to! And it appears this guy pushed him to Baltimore.. hmm interesting! Seems that Marcus is starting to get line on that blackbird, and that has to be a good thing! But what's the deal with Shannon? What set her off? And what picture could she possibly be staring at? **

**Now, just another plug for my Facebook page, check it out! I have put up question about something that will be occurring in future chapters just to get some reader ideas. I'm hoping this will be the first of many questions, if I can get the feedback. Please note, that while I pose these questions, i do have my own take on everything, so i may go with mine, but I may also read something &amp; go, 'yea! i like that!" after all, everyone brings different perspectives to everything.**

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	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! You may thank the Queen! It's a long weekend here in Oz to mark her birthday, one more day to my weekend, nice! To my reviewers, love you all! Love hearing your thoughts, they keep me inspired!**

**Guest Reviewer: Sue Dooley: Thank you! So glad you're enjoying this!**

**Momcat: Thank you, you've asked many questions &amp; they will all be answered, some sooner than later!**

**Acronym used that some may not know: FUBAR = Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition (from a few military movies)**

**This is a short chapter yes but it is extremely important, _MAJOR REVEAL_ ahead!**

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Gibbs just rubbed her back, he just wanted to sooth her, he just wanted to make her feel better &amp; calm her down. His mind was whirling with everything that they had learnt so far, it was all getting mixed up &amp; he couldn't help but wonder what any of this had to do with them taking his boy! As he wondered just how he could get his wife to open up to him he started to hear her quietly saying something, so he zoned in trying his best to hear the whispered words.

"Why? How?" Shannon sobbed quietly "why? How could you do this to me" she cried clutching her legs.

Gibbs' heart ached at hearing her sobs, whoever was in that image had wronged her, but who? Unlike their kids, neither he or her had many photos on their phones, and the ones they did have were all of their family, so who could she possibly be talking about?

Gibbs decided on a change of position &amp; moved to sit down facing his wife, placing his legs on either side of hers. He leaned forward &amp; stroked her head, hoping to bring her head up he moved his other hand to stroke her leg "Shan, I'm here, talk to me please, let me help you" he whispered

Shannon lifted her head "He abandoned me!" she cried

Gibbs had no clue who she was talking about, but her face was a mess with tears, he reached out "who babe?" he asked as he wiped away as many tears as he could.

"Him" Shannon answered quietly pushing her phone towards him.

Gibbs looked down at the phone &amp; the image, he flashed a look back up to her before returning his gaze to the image. It was an old photo but he was really, **really** confused "Shan, this is your dad, what are you saying?" they'd found only 3 photos of him amongst Joanne's things &amp; Kelly had scanned them &amp; retouched them for safe keeping, Shannon had all three images on her phone. But why was she saying that he abandoned her? He was soo terribly confused!

"It's him…" Shannon tried to breath "that man… is him, it's…."

Gibbs saw her start to mildly hyperventilate "shhh Shan, breath babe, come on relax for me" he placed a hand on each of her cheeks "breath with me babe, shh, just breath" he was utterly floored by what she was thinking. What that this Lawrence Alexander was her dad? Seriously? His mind was boggling &amp; it would have to be dealt with, but first he had to calm her down.

After a few moments Gibbs managed to relax her enough to move himself to be next to her, and brought her across his lap. Cradling her he pressed a kiss to her forehead "just breath babe" he whispered.

Stretching out Gibbs grabbed the phone &amp; looked closely at the images, her dad was a fairly tall man, at what he thought was 6"2, he had red hair just like Shannon, but his was touch lighter than hers. Flicking through the 3 images, he zoomed in on the man's face, it was a hard set face of someone who'd had a hard life, yet in these images it had a softness of love &amp; caring. He saw some similarity between these photos &amp; the one he'd seen of Lawrence Alexander, but he wasn't convinced.

Gibbs caressed her head "babe, there's a bit of similarity, but that's about it, I don't think its him"

Shannon looked at him "it's him, I know it is…and"

"And what babe?" Gibbs asked

"The man I bumped into at the Country club" Shannon remarked.

Gibbs knew what she meant, the dream that reminded her about that guy she'd run into at the country club, the guy that had spoken to her on her ride &amp; then ran a mile when he saw Quinn "what about him?"

"It's him, why wouldn't I have recognised him then?" Shannon asked, she was feeling heartbroken, angry, upset &amp; just plain confused.

"The guy that bumped into you at the Country Club was this Lawrence Alexander?" Gibbs asked

"No" Shannon disagreed "the man that bumped into me was not Lawrence Alexander, it was Alexander McLowry, my dad!" she was convinced!

Gibbs let out a breath "Don't get ahead of yourself Shan" he could see she was convinced, but he wasn't.

"Get Tim to do that facial recognition thing between the two photos then!" Shannon insisted determinedly

"You want Tim to compare the images?" Gibbs asked, the look of reply he got was the glare he normally levelled at people "ok Shan" he nodded, knowing he'd never be able to talk her out of it.

Laying her phone down, Gibbs picked his up &amp; texted Tim "My office, now, and come **alone**!" it was imperative that he came alone,

Gibbs looked to his wife "He'll be up in a minute babe, but…"

"I know what you're going to say, but don't, it's him, I know it is, in my heart I know its him &amp; I really don't know where to go with it" Shannon finally admitted, she really didn't know where to go with any of this! Or these feelings!

"Then let's not think about it yet, let's just wait for Tim to tell us one way or the other" Gibbs suggested. Before he suggested that they stood up or at least moved to the couch she'd risen herself &amp; gone out to his balcony. If they weren't in the middle of the base he'd have an issue with her being out there, but given they were in the heart of the base &amp; it was a fairly protected view, he was a bit more relaxed about her being out there.

Gibbs got up himself &amp; was about to follow when he got a knock at the door, he took a breath before answering "enter"

Tim was really unsure as to why he was here and entered tentatively "boss?" he could see Shannon was out on the balcony.

Gibbs let out a breath "I need you to run a facial comparison between this image &amp; the one we have of Lawrence Alexander &amp; use my computer" he said as he passed Tim his wife's phone.

Tim looked at the photo, he knew whose phone it was so was a little confused "boss?"

"Just do it McGee" Gibbs huffed.

Tim swallowed "yes boss" there was the old Gibbs glare again! But.. "ahh, it could take a few minutes" all he got in reply was the Gibbs glare "yes boss"

Gibbs stood behind his desk but at angle that allowed him to keep an eye on his wife as well as the screen. He watched as Tim brought both images into whatever program it was that would do this comparison, seeing the pictures side by side though, he had to admit, the small similarity he'd seen earlier was getting a little more profound. Could his wife be right? Could this guy that had done everything be Shannon's real father? While he still thought it wasn't all that possible, what if she was right? What if the guy was him? What the heck was going on?!

Gibbs looked out to his wife, she was standing against the railing with her palms resting on it &amp; just staring out, gosh, what could she possibly be thinking? He wanted to wrap his arms around her &amp; tell her this was all just coincidence, but who was he kidding, neither of them believed in them! And until Tim gave him the answer he couldn't do anything, he just had to wait.

Tim knew that whatever, or rather whoever the man was in the photo on Shannon's phone that he was comparing to Lawrence Alexander was important but he didn't know who he was exactly. He could feel the tension pouring off Gibbs, so did his best to work through the program as quickly but thoroughly as he could. Looking at the images himself he saw some similarities but on face value they certainly weren't identical. He guessed that the image from the phone was at least 40, maybe 50 years old? So there was of course room for change. The program though compared features that didn't change, so it should easily account for that. It was an improved version of the one they used when Ari was on the scene &amp; needed to compare his adult face to the one from his university photo.

"McGee" Gibbs huffed after a good 10 minutes, seriously? It wasn't like they were searching a database, they were just comparing 2 images?

Tim swallowed "going as fast as I can boss" he made a few more entries &amp; then hit run, he waited..

Gibbs watched the program run, he could see it working, he honestly didn't know what he was hoping for, for a match or not? He held his breath as it continued &amp; he just stared at it when it finally finished.. oh my!

Tim saw it finish &amp; would have told Gibbs, but the look on his face said it all, he knew already "I'm just going to…"

Gibbs drew himself away from the screen to look at Tim &amp; nodded "no mentioning this to anyone Tim, we'll deal with it soon, but we need some time. I mean it Tim, don't say a word to a single soul!" he couldn't let Kelly know about this yet.

Tim nodded "of course boss"

Gibbs waited for Tim to leave before he shifted his gaze one more time to the screen, all he could say, all he could think about was crap, shit, oh boy &amp; really.. fubar, major **FUBAR**!

Approaching his wife he took hold of her from behind &amp; rested his head against hers, he just held her. He really had no idea what to say, what could you say? As he was trying to work out what to say she turned herself in his arms.

Shannon looked at her husband, she didn't need to look at the screen to know what the result was, she knew even before Tim had done it "Its my dad" she whispered

"Yes" was the only thing Gibbs could say.

* * *

**A/N: Yea so, i'm just going to leave you with that…. sorry! ;p**

**Just another plug for my Facebook page, there's a question up asking people for advice on some xmas related presents - would love some feedback/opinions! If you don't feel comfortable answering the via fb page at large, please don't hesitate to PM me. I've also started posting an image or two via my Instagram page, it's just the start..**

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	50. Chapter 50

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks, sorry for the delay… life! To my recent follower welcome! To my reviewers, I love you all! Reading your comments keeps me greatly inspired so keep them coming!**

**Guest Reviewers: Sue Dooley &amp; Momcat: Thanks for the reviews! Yes this answers one question, but creates a dozen more, just like you've mentioned and we'll get through them all, eventually!**

**None: Thanks for the review! The question is does Tim actually know who he was comparing the photo of to? I don't think he did! But yes, she might be wondering what he did in the office whilst in there**

**Please note, I'm invoking my writers creative licence and so canon for Delilah Fielding is about to take a massive shift! Let's get straight into it..more to learn!**

* * *

Gibbs brought his wife into a tight embrace "shh" he soothed as he ran a hand up &amp; down her back, he really had no idea where to go with this information &amp; after a few moments felt her pull back up "babe.."

"He died, at least that what we thought, what happened? He loved mum why would he do this to us?" Shannon asked, she was utterly lost.

"I don't know babe, I wish I did, but its something we'll have to figure out" Gibbs replied, this was killing him.

"He left us! He left us and adopted Tony's sister! He replaced me!" Shannon cried, how could her dad have done that to her? She always thought her dad had loved her, the few memories she had of him she cherished!

Gibbs had tears running down his cheek, he lifted a hand and brushed hers away "Babe we don't know what happened back then, I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt he replaced you" he saw the look he got "think about what we've found out, he was at that symposium Kelly was invited to, he taught her how to decrypt exchanges involving people that knew Mac, something that wasn't part of the actual curriculum of the event. Heck he traded insults with the men that tried running her &amp; Myles out of NOLA! And let's not forget that he came to you, he came to that Country Club to speak to you, but left as soon as Quinn showed up, so he obviously realised he shouldn't be there. But he went none the less! He had a one on one conversation with Kells, and what he said to her about her studies and that it was because of you &amp; me she could get there. The fact that you said he was so easy to talk to &amp; was genuinely interested in what you had to say. None of that sounds like someone who forgot you."

"I just don't understand why…" Shannon started to say.

Gibbs had to interrupt her "Me either, but we will find them, and we will ask him because I don't like this anymore than you do" he was going to ask the guy more than one question!

Shannon nodded "Kelly….."

"I know babe, we need to tell her first &amp; my dad too?" Gibbs agreed, he saw her nod &amp; grabbed his phone to text Tim "send Kelly &amp; my dad to my office, **now!**" he wanted this to be family only first, they'd then tell the others.

"Yes Boss" Tim replied instantly.

"I can tell her babe" Gibbs offered

Shannon took a breath "no, I want to" this was something she needed to do, she went into the room &amp; sat down on the couch, she saw the door open &amp; saw her daughter, oh gosh!

Kelly walked in not really knowing what to expect, Tim had been tight lipped since he'd last come out of here "mum?"

"Darling come sit down" Shannon motioned, she saw her husband motion Jack to sit down too on the other couch.

Jack couldn't help but wonder what was going on, Shannon looked like a wreck!

Gibbs sat down on his daughter's other side, this was going to be hard to hear!

Shannon took a breath "darling I want to show you something"

"Ok" Kelly nodded

"Do you remember who this is angel?" Shannon asked showing a picture of him with her mum.

"Yea of course" Kelly nodded "that's grandma &amp; your dad on their wedding day" what did this have to do with anything?

"Yes it is" Shannon nodded "you remember his name?"

"Alexander McLowry" Kelly answered, of course she remembered her grandfather's name but where was her mum going with this?

Shannon nodded again taking a deep breath, could she do this? No she had to "the thing is…"

Gibbs could see she was struggling, he decided to help "angel, when mum looked at the photo of Lawrence Alexander.."

Kelly flashed a look at her dad before turning back to her mum "what about him?"

"Sweetheart, it's the same person" Shannon whispered holding her girl's hands.

Kelly's eyes widened "what do you mean same person?"

"The man that taught you that decryption technique was not Lawrence Alexander, he was Alexander McLowry, your grandfather" Shannon whispered

Jack couldn't believe his ears! This man they'd been looking into was Shannon's father? Really? He just didn't know what to believe!

Kelly's eyes remained wide looking at her mum, she actually didn't know what to say, but really? "you sure?" she finally whispered

"We're sure angel" Shannon nodded quietly

"Tim ran a program to compare the facial features, it's a match" Gibbs added

Kelly switched her gaze to her dad "what program?"

"Its still up on my computer" Gibbs remarked he didn't know the name of it, and he wasn't surprised when she jumped up &amp; headed over to see it.

Kelly sat down at her father's desk &amp; stared at the screen in front of her, side by side were the images, she could see similarities &amp; she saw the green lines between the two images confirming the matches, but she needed to check herself. As much as she trusted Tim she had to redo this herself, she clicked cancel &amp; started again, she knew this program enough to know what to do, Tim had shown it to her about a month back.

Jack had followed his son &amp; Shannon to the desk &amp; saw his granddaughter had restarted the program, he still couldn't believe it, so was glad that she was redoing this.

Kelly made sure all the parameters were properly aligned &amp; accounted for, and they were, she hit the run &amp; sat back to watch.

Shannon knew why her daughter was doing this, she wanted to make sure the program had given the right answer, she had to make sure of that herself, she did understand her daughter's need. And when it came back as confirmed she rested a hand on her shoulder.

Kelly looked up to her parents "I don't understand, he died when you were like 5!"

"We don't understand it either angel, but we'll get the answers, I assure you" Gibbs remarked

Kelly nodded but looked down, that man was her grandfather? She'd spent time with him.. what if "did he know.."

Gibbs had to interrupt her, he was resting against his desk as he placed a hand on his girl's cheek to lift her face up to him "Yes Kelly, I'm convinced he knew who you were in NOLA. He didn't have to teach you that decryption &amp; he didn't have to speak to you one on one, but he did &amp; you said it yourself, he was easy to talk to. Myles saw him get into that argument with those men, I'm convinced he knew who you were" he was convinced the man knew who she was, why he did all of this was another matter &amp; it was something he would get to the bottom of! He'd grill the man for answers!

Kelly nodded again, if things weren't complicated enough they now were! "what now?" she asked quietly

Gibbs could see it wasn't just his daughter looking at him, but his wife &amp; dad too "we keep going, we find Phoenix, we find Patricia, find Jacob &amp; find Alexander. We work out why they were taken and then…" he took a breath "then we get to the bottom of why he did everything he did" he wasn't going to just let the man walk into their lives without a detailed explanation, the man would have to explain himself! He owed Shannon one hell of an explanation! And he'd make sure she got it!

Jack could see in his son's eyes how much he wanted to make the man explain himself for everything, and he agreed, while he could surmise there was one. I mean, with everything they've learnt he was sure it tied in, but what made him do it all? What could possibly make him fake his death? Sure it wasn't a first in this family unfortunately, but that was before MacDonald was on scene! So… wait… he had a thought, he needed a word with his son.

"Why don't you girls go see how Marcus is doing finding the plane" Gibbs suggested "I'll go downstairs and tell the others, this might help us find them quicker" he saw his wife nod in agreement "I'll be in as quickly as I can, ok?" he knew she'd need as much support as possible.

Shannon nodded "please" she still didn't know where to go with the thoughts that were running through her head, but her father, her real father, her dad, the man she called daddy was alive! Part of her wanted to demand answers, wanted to demand to know why he left them, left her! Part a small part of her just wanted to hug him &amp; be held in his embrace.

Jack watched as the girls left the room, and he placed a hand on his son's arm, he wanted to keep him here for a moment.

Gibbs felt his dad's hand &amp; only turned to him once the girls had left &amp; his door had closed "dad?"

"There is something unnerving about this Leroy" Jack remarked

"I know dad" Gibbs conceded "there's a major player that we have yet to find"

"That's not what I mean" Jack remarked "how soon after Alexander died did Joanne marry MacDonald?"

Gibbs thought about it "From what I know, maybe 18 months" he remembered more "Shan did say that she remembered her mum telling her that whilst she would have been comfortable on her own, she received MacDonald's advances and she did grow to care for him as much as she could and given back then it wasn't seen as appropriate to turn the advances down, especially when she had Shan to look after she accepted his proposal" he took a breath and considered something "You think he had the guy go on his way on purpose?" he wouldn't put it past the man, but could the hate go back that far? Why? and what would he gain from getting rid of Alexander &amp; then marrying Joanne? And how on earth did adopting Patricia fit into this whole thing?

"Its not like he didn't know how to fake a death, my only question would be why?" Jack said

"One of the many questions we need to get an answer for. Let's go downstairs, see if we can't find some answers" Gibbs suggested

Arriving down in the squad-room Gibbs could see everyone was getting on with their work, he saw Tristan approach, he took a breath this wasn't going to be easy "DiNozzo! McGee! David! Kruse! Vella!" he called all the SSA's that he could see, and he'd tell Tim &amp; Ziva too.

Tristan waited until those called arrived &amp; form a small huddle "Everything ok Gibbs?"

Gibbs flashed a look at his dad 'ok' wasn't the closet word for it "Not even close"

Tony shared a look with the others, he'd wondered what had sent Shannon off.

"Look, I want no questions because quite frankly I have no answers" Gibbs remarked, he took a breath &amp; saw his dad give him nod of encouragement "this Lawrence Alexander guy" he said shifting his gaze to Tony, the boy was going to get the shock of his life!

Tony saw Gibbs stare at him "what?"

"We know why you could get no history on the name, his real name is Alexander McLowry" Gibbs remarked looking at his charge.

"Who's Alexander McLowry?" Tony asked he just wondered how they got another name for the man.

Tim was flashing looks between everyone, he was sure he should know this &amp; knew it was important but he couldn't put the finger on the connection.

Gibbs took a deep breath "Alexander McLowry is, well, Shannon's father"

Tony's jaw dropped open "he's….. who?" he stuttered, huh?

Tristan's eyes widened, what?! She knew she wasn't alone, everyone was gaping "I'm sorry Jethro, did you say that this Lawrence Alexander, the man that adopted Tony's sister was in fact Shannon father?... I thought he died"

Tim was wide eyed, he knew it was important, but this? Oh man! This was major! No wonder Shannon looked like a wreck! He instantly wondered how Kelly was doing with this information, he needed to check on her!

"So did we" Gibbs agreed "but its him, Shannon knew it as soon as she saw the image, and Tim ran an image of him that she has on her phone against this one" he said motioning to the plasma "it's a match, the man that adopted your sister is Shannon real dad Tony" he finished looking at his charge

Tony had no idea what to say, all he could think was, huh? Like **HUH**?

"As I said, no questions because we have no idea on any answers, but use his real name to try to track anything, let's make this name work for us!" Gibbs instructed as he clapped his hands trying to get his charges to get back to work

"Yes boss" was the reply chorused through his SSA's and team.

Gibbs was going to say something but he saw Myles rushing out of MTAC, had they found the plane?

"We got her sir!" Myles called "my team &amp; some MP's are 5 minutes out"

Gibbs knew instantly whom he was referring to! They'd found Delilah Fielding! Time to get some answers!

Hollis was on the phone in the reception of NCIS, she was making a few calls when she saw a group of men, all in full kit head towards the building, the way they were walking they were clearly escorting someone, and then she saw her, they had Delilah with them! They had totally boxed her in, she was surrounded by 5 Army Rangers &amp; 2 MP's.

"Delilah, everything ok?" Hollis asked, she thought all of this was total overkill! And her analyst looked worried, very worried!

"Step back ma'am, we have orders to take her straight upstairs, no communication allowed" Staff Sgt Montgomery remarked stepping up to intercept the woman before she could get close to their target.

Hollis's eyes widened "I don't think so, she's my analyst!" this was total overkill!

"Specialist Evans!" Montgomery barked

Evans approached Hollis "Step back ma'am" he instructed moving her backwards.

"I'm coming" Hollis asserted

Evans got a nod from his Staff Sgt before speaking "ok, but you stay behind me ma'am, no interference"

Hollis followed the group upstairs, she couldn't believe her eyes really, she thought this was total overkill, each man was in full kit, like full kit! Rifles and everything, this was insane! She was actually upset with Gibbs for allowing it to get this insane!

Gibbs was waiting outside of interrogation with Tony, this was getting personal &amp; they both wanted to get the answers personally! He looked over his shoulder "two of your men on the door with an MP, the rest can go back to security downstairs"

"Of course sir" Myles nodded

Gibbs saw Carter &amp; motioned him to take Delilah into the room.

"Fisher, Evans, stay on the door! Montgomery head back downstairs with Byrnes &amp; Osborne and assist with security" Myles ordered his team.

"Yes sir!" all of his men responded, with Byrnes &amp; Evans taking up position on each side of the door.

Montgomery flashed a look to Hollis before looking back at his LT.

"I've got her" Myles said answering his look "Private, you're on the door too, Corporal go with my Staff Sgt!"

"Yes sir!" the MP's confirmed.

Hollis waited for the hordes to move before looking at Gibbs "don't you think this is all over kill?"

Gibbs eyed her "no, you don't know the history, she knows something, she stuffed up &amp; we're going to get to the bottom of it! You can watch, but no interfering!"

"I know you want some answers, but do you really think she did what she did on purpose?" Hollis asked, she didn't think so! "Oh and I will interfere if you go over the boundaries!"

Gibbs shook his head "oh no, you interfere &amp; Lt Bond will escort you out!"

"Yes sir" Myles confirmed

Hollis could have taken offence, and she did a little, but thought better of getting into an argument here, so she just followed the trio into the room.

Tony headed in &amp; looked down at Delilah, she was definitely unnerved &amp; fidgeting!

Gibbs took a seat &amp; could see that the girl was nervous, if he had more time he'd wait for her break but he didn't "why'd you take off?"

"Needed to clear my head" Delilah replied quietly.

"Guilty about screwing up that decryption huh" Tony remarked

"I'm sorry?" Delilah asked a little startled.

"You know, that email exchange you decrypted, you screwed it up" Tony answered looking her in the eye, she was nervous about something, but he could see she was genuinely surprised at this.

"No, I ran a translation cypher over it, it turned out a bit strange, but I didn't screw anything up" Delilah answered, she knew she'd gotten that right.

"Think you did" Gibbs remarked "the results you got, made no sense!"

"That's not my fault, I worked on it for quite a while, translated it the best I could" Delilah said defensively.

"Your translation was a load of garbage" Myles remarked, Tim had shown him the initial attempt to translate it.

"I agreed it made no sense, but we made it work the best we could, ask Agent McGee! We worked on it together!" Delilah remarked "and how would you know anything about it…" she would have continued but got interrupted

"Intelligere et loqui Latine perfectius" Myles remarked interrupting her, he saw the blank look "that's Latin for I speak and understand Latin perfectly"

Tony saw Delilah's eyes widen, he couldn't help but smile internally, she clearly couldn't see past his uniform.

Delilah refocused at the man just staring at her "I don't know what you're talking about"

Gibbs could see that she genuinely believed she'd done it right, he'd move on &amp; come back to it later "clearing your head for 10 minutes is one thing, you were gone for hours, that's not clearing your head"

"Time got away from me" Delilah replied

"No" Gibbs disagreed "MacDonald Fielding, you know him"

"I'm sorry I know no MacDonald Fielding" Delilah replied

"You know something though" Gibbs observed

"I don't know what you're talking about" Delilah said quietly.

"Oh I think you do" Gibbs remarked

Hollis saw her shake her head, she couldn't help but notice that she was chewing her bottom lip, maybe he was right? Maybe there was something she knew.

"You know them" Gibbs remarked as Tony put a few headshots down on the table.

"That's Loch, the man from the exchange" Delilah remarked

Tony saw a little hesitation in her body language.

Gibbs saw something "and the rest"

"I…" Delilah started

"Don't bullshit me! I want to truth or so help me you'll wind up…" Gibbs said menacingly.

Delilah looked at him, then at Tony, and then Lt Bond &amp; Hollis before she looked down her hands "he's my cousin"

* * *

**A/N: Well, looks like Delilah knows a lot more than she let on! She's definitely ****involved! ****Tony though is also still reeling in the knowledge that Shannon's father is the one who adopted his sister! ****So many things in play, and it will not be slowing down! We're going to be going full throttle! **

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	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, here's a new chapter for you! To my latest followers/favourites, welcome aboard! To my reviewers thank you so much! And sorry for not replying to your latest reviews, but i'm pretty busy &amp; want to get this posted! I love reading your comments, they keep me ****inspired! **

**Without further ado, let's see exactly what Ms Delilah is going to say! And how Gibbs, Tony &amp; Myles will react or even Hollis...**

* * *

Gibbs was shocked but he narrowed his eyes at the woman "explain!" he barked, he knew he wasn't alone in his shock at the news.

"His mother Susan is my dad's sister" Delilah whispered

"Explain why you didn't say anything earlier!" Gibbs barked, while he hadn't seen her since they'd gotten back from the port, she could have surely said something already! They'd been looking into the man for some time!

"Didn't think it was my cousin that we were looking for, thought it was someone else, Loch is a common Scottish name" Delilah remarked "I don't believe he had anything to do with Kaplan's disappearance" at least she hoped he didn't, but she'd had very bad feeling about it all.

"He kidnapped my son!" Gibbs barked furiously.

Delilah stared at him, she knew something had happened, the amount of activity on the base had increased as her time in the park went on. She presumed it was something to do with Kaplan's disappearance, but she wasn't expecting this! "I'm sorry?"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes again "Are you telling me that you don't know that your cousin &amp; these men attached &amp; kidnapped my son &amp; left 3 others in the hospital?!" he demanded

"Including my brother!" Myles added

"No" Delilah admitted "and I don't know who you &amp; your brother is"

"I'm Lieutenant Myles Bond and my brother is Captain Michael Bond, he's fighting for his life because of your cousin!" Myles barked

"These men, these men" Gibbs barked standing up &amp; pointing to the headshots on the table "they kidnapped my son! They assaulted Captain Bond, NCIS Senior Agent Quinton &amp; Ensign Evans, all three of whom are in hospital! Your cousin has been identified as the ringleader! You are going to tell me every g-d damn thing you know!"

Delilah shook her head "my cousins couldn't do what you're saying"

"Then why'd you go AWOL? You were gone for hours? You go meet with him?" Tony demanded, he was still reeling from learning that the guy was her cousin! He then had a thought &amp; grabbed his phone to text his team.

"I…" Delilah began, she took a breath "I was trying to work out if it could have been him, and I haven't seen him in over a year" she replied.

Gibbs had caught something she'd said earlier "you said cousin**s**, are you telling me that these men are also your family?!" he barked.

"I don't understand what's going on!" Delilah yelled half crying it out.

Gibbs held up the photo of the man sitting in the other interrogation room "Name!"

"Jethro Lancert, Loch's brother" Delilah whispered "I don't know what's going on!" she cried again, could they not give her a minute?

"When was the last time you spoke to them Delilah?" Hollis asked, she couldn't believe Jethro had been right &amp; she knew more than she'd let on!

"Yesterday" Delilah whispered

"What did he say?" Hollis asked, trying to be smoother than Jethro was being.

"Just asked what I was up to, we try to keep up with each others lives" Delilah answered, she had no idea what her cousin's had to do with any of this mess!

"What did you tell them!?" Tony asked briskly.

"That I was here in Naples working on a case &amp; if possible I'd stop off to see them on the way home" Delilah replied.

"Details! You mention anything about me or my family?" Gibbs demanded

Delilah took a breath before lifting her head "Look, I know you think that my cousins are involved in this, but my family are peaceful. I really don't believe they are involved"

Gibbs stood &amp; turned to the mirror "roll the video of the pair leaving the snipers nest!" he ordered

Myles kept a firm gaze on her as she watched her cousins walk down the street.

Delilah saw her cousins walking down a street "so they're here in Naples, they didn't tell me but that doesn't mean it was them that kidnapped or assaulted anyone!"

"The other one!" Gibbs barked, while he knew it was going to be hard for himself to watch, he needed to show the lady that it was them that took his boy, that assaulted the trio, he pointed to screen "Watch!" he barked.

Myles watched her as she watched the video, he tried to zone it out himself, he couldn't view it again. Listening to it though was just as painful &amp; he just couldn't stop himself when it finished "your cousin ran my brother over! Shot him! And took Phoenix! You're family are anything but peaceful!" he barked coming closer to her.

Tony couldn't say he didn't feel the same way as Myles, but he stepped forward to try to pull Myles back a bit &amp; calm him down.

Delilah didn't know what to say, she was horrified! "I….." she took a breath, she was utterly beside herself! "I'm sorry, I'm.. I've never known them to…." she just couldn't say it.

Gibbs took a few calming breaths, having that video play again had been excruciatingly painful. Sitting himself down he eyed the lady, he could see that she was genuinely shocked "I want every goddam detail you know! And you can start with the conversation from yesterday!"

Delilah took a few deep breaths "Loch called me and we spoke for maybe 20 minutes, I asked how they were, he asked how I was. I…."

Tony saw she was hesitating "you what?!" he demanded, he didn't care how shocked she was, he wanted answers!

"I told him that someone here had had an issue with me &amp; asked if I was connected to a MacDonald Fielding, thought maybe he'd know him or anything, because I don't" Delilah finally said, she did her best to avoid Gibbs's gaze.

Gibbs eyed her "you mention me by name?"

"Yes" Delilah swallowed

Tony heard a knock at the door &amp; opened it, Zuse passed him an envelope, he simply nodded before closing the door again &amp; facing Delilah, he walked right up to her &amp; placed the image in front of her from the folder he'd been given "so you don't know this man?" he'd placed an image of Mac in front of her.

Gibbs saw her eyes widened at the image "name?!"

"That's… " Delilah took a breath "that's Jeremiah Fielding, my uncle, he died just under a year ago"

"Jeremiah?" Gibbs, Tony &amp; Myles all queried, huh?

"Yes" Delilah answered "who's he to you?"

"How'd he die?" Gibbs asked, he wasn't going to answer her question yet.

"According to my dad he died in a car accident in Scotland" Delilah answered, why were they now interested in her uncle?

"Did he live in Scotland?" Gibbs asked, car accident his arse!

"No, Texas" Delilah confirmed

"When did you see him last" Gibbs prodded

"Maybe 3 years ago? I only saw him on the odd occasion he came to DC once I lived there" Delilah answered

"You never went to Texas to see him?" Myles asked, what the heck was Mac playing at?

"No, he never liked people visiting his home &amp; my mother didn't like us to go either" Delilah answered

"Your mother didn't like your uncle?" Gibbs prodded

"My parents divorced when I was 5 &amp; my mum moved me &amp; brother with her to the US. She didn't really like us spending time with our dad's family, said they were the wrong sort. I never saw it when we did go during some of our summer vacations" Delilah answered, she took a breath "look, while I'd love to sit here &amp; tell you about my family history I don't understand what's going on. I am truly shocked at what my cousins have done, can you give me some hint please?"

Gibbs picked up the picture of Mac to show to her "this man, this uncle of yours, Jeremiah"

Hollis wondered where he was going with this, did he know this Jeremiah?

"What about him?" Delilah asked

"The name we, I know him by" Gibbs stated &amp; took a breath "MacDonald Fielding! The man that stole my family from me over 20 years ago!"

Hollis's eyes widened Delilah's uncle was the same person that stole his family? My word! She had no idea what to say! Things were rather complicated!

Delilah paled, she didn't know what this MacDonald had done but "you have your family here with you"

"Because 10 months ago I found out what he'd done &amp; I'd gotten them back!" Gibbs said briskly before adding "oh, and he didn't die in a car crash, he was shot by an equally sick man in the ensuing fallout" he didn't care he was being harsh, he really wasn't caring about her at all!

Myles was enjoying seeing her pale &amp; shocked, she should feel bad! Her family was truly fucked up! He then felt his phone vibrate &amp; he looked to see who it was, it was his brother! _"Got something! Mrs G wants you all to come back up! Like now!"_

Myles stepped forward &amp; held his phone out for Gibbs to see, he didn't want to tell her a word "sir" he remarked, showing him the screen.

Gibbs took the screen in &amp; his eyes widened, while he wanted to keep going with Delilah, he wouldn't delay in seeing what Marcus had, especially if his wife wanted him up there! He rose &amp; turned to his agents in the observation room, he simply beckoned them out of the room with a swift head motion.

Gibbs looked down to Delilah "you are going tell my agents every single little detail you know about your family &amp; answer any questions they have or so help me g-d, you will not like the consequences!" he barked, he looked over to Hollis "do not interfere!" he remarked briskly before leaving the room swiftly motion for Tony to follow as well, he knew Myles would be on his six anyway.

"Boss?" Donnelly asked cautiously, he must be seething, absolutely seething!

"Every detail Donnelly, every little bit of her family connections I want" Gibbs remarked eyeing his agent

"Of course boss" Donnelly nodded "do you want us to use this connection with our other guest? It might be just the revelation to get him to trip up" I mean they now knew his name! Jethro Lancert, they could use that!

Gibbs considered it, it may but.. "no, I don't want him knowing that we've got his cousin &amp; that we know who he is &amp; how they're all related" he shifted his eyes to Johns, her SFA "get Yates &amp; some of the others to run the names she gives us" his shifted back to Donnelly "lets get the intel working for us without letting on anything, the less he knows we know the better"

Donnelly nodded "right boss, she looked to her SFA "get Meoli or Dodd down here, they can remain in the observation room &amp; feed the names upstairs to Yates &amp; Aymond"

"Yes ma'am" Johns nodded

Tony had seen the text so he knew why they were leaving but Hollis hadn't come out of the room yet, so he presumed she was staying but then he saw her emerge.

Gibbs saw that Hollis had just come out of the room "if you stay in there, you keep out of Donnelly's way! Or Johns will remove you!"

"I am just as shocked at this revelation as you are Jethro" Hollis remarked the last thing I want to do is stand in the way of getting information, but I'd thought you'd keep going?" Surely he'd not leave until he'd gotten all the information.

Myles could see Gibbs tense further, there was clearly no love lost between the pair "because my brother's got something on the plane that took Phoenix!"

Gibbs didn't even say a word he simply started walking down the hall, both Tony &amp; Myles were on his six in an instant &amp; he realised fairly quickly that so was Hollis, he let out a breath, why was she coming to? He was almost at the squad room when he saw Tristan.

"I was just coming to get you" Tristan remarked "there are some people here to see the two of you" she looked between Gibbs &amp; Tony.

Gibbs &amp; Tony shared a look, there were people here to see them, now of all times? Who could possibly be here of importance with the relevant clearance to gain access to not just the base but the NCIS building too? They were on total &amp; complete lock down?!

Tony followed close behind Gibbs into the squad-room, he saw a cluster of people standing in his bullpen &amp; as he got closer his eyes widened in complete shock, what on earth? What were they doing here?

* * *

**A/N: So she is related to Mac! And she is related to those men, not good! But she did seem very shocked at the news, and at least her mum knew something was up with her father's family!? The question right at this point in time is what does Marcus have on the plane? And who are in the squad-room to see Tony &amp; Gibbs? **

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	52. Chapter 52

**A/N: Hi folks! I know, been a while! But RL has been utterly crazy &amp; I wanted to get to a certain point in this chapter. Firstly thank you all! Can't believe this story has reach 400 reviews already! I'm utterly chuffed! Thank you so much for the support! It means so much! To my newest followers/favourties, thank you &amp; welcome aboard! So great to have you with us!**

**To my guest reviewer: Sue Dooley: There's definitely a lot going on! Trying to keep it all straight is sometimes a challenge, lol. Glad you're enjoying it!**

**Momcat: I do love cliffhangers, lol! There's a lot of connections that haven't been made, and yes, Gibbs is showing great restraint! Not sure if it will last much longer though.. Thanks for reading!**

**Now, there's a lot going on in this chapter &amp; new faces.. well, not new, but for this story new.. sort of. Let's get into it! **

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Gibbs was a little confused as he got closer to Tony's bullpen, he couldn't work how they were here, he was rather taken aback as he saw one of the closest approach him.

"Gibbs, DiNozzo" Vance greeted seriously, he was glad they'd arrived, this whole thing was a complete &amp; utter mess!

"Director" Gibbs replied reaching out to shake his hand, how could he be here? He then took a quick look at his watch &amp; his eyes flashed wide open for a moment, it had been 14 hours since his boy was taken! Had it really been that long already? His heart ached, he had to get to his son, wherever he was!

Gibbs then cast his eyes past Vance &amp; he had to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat, standing behind Vance wasn't just one person, but many, there was Fornell, Ducky, Dorneget, Franks, even the Taylor men as well as Michael Barnes &amp; Jim Nelson were all standing there looking at himself &amp; Tony, he really didn't know what to say.

"Director" Tony greeted, he couldn't believe that the Director, as well as all of the others were here, looking at his watch he surmised that they'd basically had to have left DC soon after realising what had happened to Phoenix.

Vance took a step back, he could see the pair were a little lost for words "thanks to Agent Fornell &amp; Captain Taylor knowing about the situation as soon as it happened we were able to mobilise extremely quickly. SecNav lent us her plane to get here as fast as we could" he'd literarily been called within moments of each man finding out, it was one after the other, he'd then jumped on the phone to Tristan &amp; started to try to organise everything, but he hadn't wanted to disturb either man, so he'd avoided speaking with them.

Well that explained how they got here that quickly Tony realised.

"We're here to help, not going anywhere until this is resolved and Phoenix, Patricia &amp; her family are found and are home" Vance added looking between the pair.

Gibbs felt again an overwhelming sense of gratitude, just like he felt when the original shit went down with Mac, they were all there for him, and Tony too &amp; that was really.. "appreciate it"

"Boss!" Brian called from the floor above "Major Bond needs you! He…" but he stopped abruptly, it was then that he realised there were far more people in the squad-room than he thought, and one of the extra people in the room was the Director!

Gibbs looked up "we're coming Mancheeny" he replied before looking to Myles "head up, we'll be there in a minute"

"Yes sir" Myles nodded

Vance watched as the Army Lieutenant made his way through, he knew who the man was, the umpteenth updates &amp; conversations he'd had with Tristan on their flight had given him a full update. He looked to Tristan &amp; Gibbs "this is your house, where do you need us?"

Tristan couldn't help but be surprised, and she shared the look with Gibbs, the Director was asking them where **_they_** wanted **_him_**?

Gibbs took a breath, he had to respect Vance for not just trying to take over &amp; he got an instant idea "Could use a hand in interrogating someone Mike" he said looking around Vance.

"Point me in the direction Probie" Mike remarked, as the hours went on during the flight he was getting more &amp; more worked up, so to be here &amp; finally able to help was welcomed! He'd literarily dropped everything when Ted had called him with what had happened and threw himself out the door.

Yates &amp; Aymond shared a look, this Mike guy was calling their boss, Gibbs of all people! Probie? Who the heck was this man?

Gibbs looked to the man he wanted "Yates!" he called "show Agent Franks down to interrogation room 2 &amp; catch him up on our guest"

Yates rose instantly "yes boss!"

Gibbs looked to Mike "no need to be nice with her, she's Mac's niece!"

Mike did a double take "who's Mac's niece?!" what the hell?

Tony could see that they were all now staring at Gibbs, he wondered how Gibbs would answer it

"That DOD analyst Delilah Fielding, the lady that Mann brought with her!" Gibbs remarked briskly "she's his niece and her cousins were the ones that took Phoenix and had a hand in Patricia's disappearance"

Fornell's eyes shot wide with horror "what the fuck?!" he thought they'd finish dealing with Mac, what the fuck was going on?

"That's pretty much it Tobias" Gibbs remarked, he didn't have time to delay "MTAC" he remarked as he headed through the bodies, he gave each man a nod in thanks for coming, he just didn't have time to stop.

"Dorney, could use your help" Tim remarked, he was trying to tie down an IP address &amp; knew he could help.

"Sure" Dorneget nodded

Tony held Ducky back "Ducky thanks for coming but could I get you to head over to the hopsital &amp; grab the supply of medicine we need for Jake, they've got it ready to go. I just want someone to double check that it was all in order before we bring it over but the Doc's are super busy and Jimmy &amp; the others are still doing the autopsies…."

"Not a problem my boy, happy to help" Ducky nodded, he'd read up already on the young boy's condition, so he was glad that they had the medicine ready to go.

Tony nodded "Zuse, take Dr Mallard over to the hospital &amp; ensure you have an MP escort" he ordered.

"Yes sir" Zuse answered, he didn't need to grab his side arm, because they were all already wearing them.

Harry saw the group of men head up stairs "McGee, where's.."

"MTAC" Tim answered interrupting him, he knew who Harry was looking for &amp; wasn't surprised to see the guy take off up the stairs as well.

Shannon couldn't understand what was keeping her husband! But she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him enter "Jethro! Whe…" but she stopped in her tracks, he was followed by Leon, Ted, Tobias, Harry, Michael Barnes &amp; Jim Nelson, my word!

"Got visitors" Gibbs remarked

"Shannon" Vance greeted, but he saw Ted had gone to step forward

"Leon" Shannon remarked, she was surprised to say the least! But then she took in "Ted"

"Shan" Ted greeted softly "we're not going anywhere until Phoenix is back. My girls wont let me come home until he's home" Stacey had literarily thrown him out of the house saying go find him, it made him wonder about something.

Harry approached Kelly, he could see she was trying to keep it together "they kicked us out of the house, not allowed back until he's back" he said giving her a small smile. He was a little taken by the way his sister had acted, but he was damned if he wouldn't do everything possible to get squirt back, especially now that Mac was involved!

Shannon nodded "thank you Ted" she said quietly.

Kelly just gave Harry a smile &amp; hug, she was so glad to see him, to have another pillar of support there for her. She then saw her boss &amp; Jim! "Michael? Jim?"

"Kelly" Michael greeted softly "Jim &amp; I are here to simply help wherever we can, for whatever we can"

Jim nodded in agreement "whatever we can do" he cast his gaze to Tony "I've still got some feelers out in NOLA looking into a few things"

Tony nodded in thanks.

Gibbs was going to ask for an update but there was something he needed to tell his girls, he was holding onto his wife and saw that his girl was only a little way away, he swept his gaze between them "I want the pair of you to stay away from that Delilah Fielding, she's under guard but please stay away from her"

"Why Jethro?" Shannon asked cautiously.

"Her uncle is…. Mac" Gibbs remarked

Marcus's jaw dropped in shock.

"What?" Shannon &amp; Kelly asked in shock

"She knew him as Jeremiah, but they're related, she's also related to Loch Lancert, they're cousins, and the guy in interrogation, is Loch's brother Jethro Lancert" Gibbs explained

Marcus looked to his brother for confirmation, he got a nod in reply "knew I shouldn't have held Mike back from decking the dickhead" he muttered

Fornell looked over to the man in the Air Force uniform &amp; saw the name badge "Bond" guess this was another brother.

"What have you got Major?" Gibbs asked wanting to get on with it.

"He's found the blackbird Jethro" Shannon answered

"Show me" Gibbs requested.

Marcus nodded &amp; pointed to the screen "a technique that most pilots use who try to avoid detection is to constantly change not only direction but altitude, especially over land, where there are multiple flight paths. Knowing the plane's class has let us narrow it down further, there are specific altitude ranges that the planes have to stick within. I believe this is our blackbird" he said motioning to the blue line that had crisscrossed a large chunk of the continent.

"Projected destination?" Gibbs asked, that path had been criss-crossing across almost the entire Central Europe! His boy had been airborne for sometime! but he needed a final location!

"I would say they're heading either north or west, but given it has been criss-crossing so much &amp; changing altitude it would be burning fuel at a much faster rate. They will need to make a least a pit stop very soon, if not already, I would say in the UK, or maybe at a stretch Iceland, or north in Norway, maybe Sweden sir" Marcus answered

"I'm thinking Scotland or north England could be a possibility boss, given what we know about Lancert's email exchanges" Kruse added, but he saw that Kelly was taking special interest in Hollis &amp; wondered why.

"Carlisle?" Gibbs asked, that was one location that could possibly work, but he saw Kruse was now paying attention to Kelly &amp; he looked too, why was she staring at Hollis?

"Could definitely fit into the flight path sir" Marcus added, he saw though that Gibbs had shifted his gaze and he too was now looking to Kelly.

Shannon realised that a fair few people were now staring at Kelly, she had sat down and she followed her girl's gaze &amp; it was squarely on Hollis, and the lady was retying her shoelaces, she wasn't quite sure what was so important about what Hollis doing. She saw almost the entire room now looking at her as she approached "Kelly darling?"

Kelly just stared at Hollis &amp; her shoes, she had completely zoned out of everything else.

Gibbs approached too, what was so fascinating? "Kells" he said softly.

Hollis realised that Kelly was staring at her &amp; that everyone else was staring at Kelly, she wasn't quite sure why &amp; got nervous. She'd seen the surprise &amp; unhappy looks levelled at her already down in the bullpen, the surprise was from Ducky &amp; Fornell, the unhappy looks were from everyone else.

Shannon didn't get a response from her &amp; neither did her husband, she reached out &amp; stroked her hair as she leaned down "Angel, what's wrong?"

Harry had stayed quite close to his friend, he was brimming with anger &amp; concern, he knew she was too and realised that she'd zoned out a few minutes ago, but why was the question?

Kelly felt a hand on her head &amp; she snapped a look up to her parents who were both looking at her concerned.

"What's the matter?" Gibbs asked, something wasn't right.

That's when it hit Kelly "Fuck! Idiot!" she yelled jumping up, she raced to the controls "move!" she yelled at Michelle.

Michelle jumped up out of the way.

Gibbs rushed to her side "what's the matter?" he got no response, she was facing the screen &amp; typing away already, he turned head to look up at him "what is it?"

"Nix's shoes!" Kelly half yelled half cried.

"What about his shoes angel?" Shannon asked as she stroked her back.

"He was wearing his Nike's!" Kelly almost yelled, how could she not have thought of this sooner! She felt like hitting herself! How did it take staring at Hollis's shoes for this to happen?

Gibbs wasn't getting it &amp; knew he wasn't alone "what about his Nike's?"

"His Nikes! His Nikes have the fitbit GPS chip in them!" Kelly exclaimed

Gibbs eyes widened, GPS? Fuck! How'd they not think of this sooner?!

"I need Tim!" Kelly exclaimed to the room in general.

Gibbs looked to Michelle "Montgomery get McGee &amp; Dorneget!" he ordered

Kelly's eyes shot to him "Dorney's here? I need his help!"

Vance had come over to the controls &amp; instantly logged into the terminal next to Kelly, he could help with this until the others got here.

Marcus watched what Kelly was doing when something came to him "Anderson! Call Sgt Lewis &amp; tell him to fire up the satellite access, GPS code will be incoming!" he ordered

"Yes sir" Anderson replied

"Can you link it in with us?" Tristan asked, that would make it easier to deal with.

Marcus considered it as he shared a look with his LT "the router could get redirected? Switch interfaces.."

Anderson nodded "that could do it, but it would need clearance codes on our end from an authorised agent"

"Kruse go!" Gibbs ordered, after Tristan &amp; himself, the man was next in charge &amp; as such would have the code required.

"Yes boss" Kruse nodded he looked to the Air Force Lieutenant "let's go Lieutenant!"

Tim passed Kruse on the way in, he saw a lot of commotion going on, he saw Vance &amp; Kelly at the MTAC controls "what's going on?"

"Nix was wearing his Nike's!" Kelly exclaimed "come on!"

Tim &amp; Dorneget both drew closer to the controls, neither were making the connection.

"His shoes had his GPS Fitbits in them" Gibbs added seeing they weren't getting the obvious fact.

Tim's eyes widened as he took the seat over from Vance, he saw that Kelly already had the account up on the screens, but they needed to get into the back end &amp; get the core GPS code. He saw that Dorney sat down on her other side &amp; was already logged in to the account too.

"I've got something" Kelly called after a few minutes "the last log on his account"

"It's a ghost log" Dorneget remarked

"Ghost log?" Shannon queried, but she saw Jack re-enter the room, he'd taken a short rest but obviously had been made aware that something had happened.

"Its when the system see the signal, but its not connected long enough to transmit any data" Dorneget explained

"Don't Fitbits only store data &amp; then send the data to the end program once connected?" Harry asked, how'd this chip connect remotely? And probably from a distance? He could see a few people in the room were thinking the same thing as him, including his dad.

"We got top of the range, Nix likes the data to feed back during his sessions and workouts, that way it's faster to ascertain his stats. It looks every 2 hours for an open Wi-Fi signal, if it finds one, it will transmit the data to the Cloud account" Kelly answered.

"The time stamp matches right after the scuffle at the port" Tim noted

"Location?" Gibbs asked

"Ahh, still down at the port district boss" Tim noted.

Gibbs was waiting for them to find something else when he saw someone enter MTAC "Brunswick!"

"Boss" Brunswick greeted, but she almost pulled up short "Director" when did he get here?

"Agent Brunswick" Vance nodded, he understood all of their shock, he hadn't wanted to disturb anyone, so apart from Tristan he hadn't told or let anyone know he was on his way, he wanted them focused on what was important.

Gibbs really didn't want to wait for all the introductions "you find anything else out there?" but he saw that Col Marks &amp; Lt Col Morris had also come into the room.

Brunswick took a breath, she wasn't sure how he, they'd take it "we did boss." She confirmed, she pulled her tablet out of her case "Nassim found this, it was 100 yards on the other side of the fence in a trash can from where the SUV's were" she said showing him an image of a piece of paper they'd found.

Shannon looked on as her husband took the tablet, her eyes widened "That's.."

Gibbs took the tablet &amp; looked at what was on it, it was a piece of paper, it had a whole bunch of things written on it, all were details of his son, the address of the club, the number plate of the Range Rover, times he'd come &amp; go, common restaurants he frequented, there was also an image of his son, it was his club headshot. His son was clearly targeted, he wondered why his son, not that he'd like it if his girl had been taken any better, but why was his son targeted out of all of them and how the hell did they get these all of these details without him knowing someone had obviously followed his boy?

Fornell had looked over Gibbs's shoulder &amp; the only obvious thing to him was the photo of Phoenix, but the other details were obviously related to him. He wondered just how his friend was holding it together, because there was a lot to handle, what he saw though was that he was gripping his wife very tightly &amp; she was gripping him just as much.

"We'll find him" Gibbs whispered before he handed it back to his agent "get it checked for prints"

"It's already at the labs boss" Brunswick nodded "we also found some spilt petrol and burnt rubber pieces on the runway. Samples of both have already been received at the labs"

"Excuse me boss" Lovett remarked walking into MTAC "Agent Le Salle has sent over some things that his tech has found on the computer from the place in Clermont Harbour.. and it… well…" she didn't say a word just hadn't her boss her tablet, she knew she had to say one more thing "that's the list of websites that had been accessed very regularly over the past few months"

Gibbs traded tablets as he &amp; Shannon looked at it &amp; my word! "SSC Napoli Reverse Team player profiles, match reports, player interviews. The Barnes &amp; Associates news feed, employee profiles and commendations. NSA Naples news, events &amp; movements. The Base Chapel Meditation Centre" he whispered as he read it &amp; then looked at his wife wide eyed

Shannon couldn't believe it &amp; she really didn't know what to say, but was interrupted anyway.

"He looked at what?" Kelly stuttered wide-eyed, she had been focusing on the computer but had heard her dad start to list them off &amp; just grew stunned!

Gibbs moved him &amp; his wife over to his girl but looked to his wife first "He didn't forget about you Shan, he knows who you are &amp; he knows you are too" he finished looking at his girl.

"Ah boss, if you swipe there's the image that he had as his desktop background" Lovett said hesitantly.

Gibbs wasn't sure if they could cope with this but he swiped anyway &amp; the three of them looked at the image and just stared.

Tony saw the three of them staring at the image but then Gibbs flashed a look towards him &amp; he was curious, he went over and looked too, holy cow! It was like a collage, there were various people intertwined. There was his sister Patricia, his nephew Jake, there was also Shannon, Kelly, Phoenix, even Gibbs but there was also… himself! He was in this image! And there was also "that's my mum!"

The Gibbs family all looked at Tony surprised, none of them knew what was going on! Gibbs took a breath "we really need answers"

"Does this mean that we're…. what…. related….. or what?" Tony asked but he wasn't looking at Gibbs, he was looking at Shannon.

Shannon was struggling but she could see he was too "I have no idea if we're related Anthony, but we are already family" she needed to reassure him, as well as herself.

Tony nodded, they were family, but could there be more? He really wasn't sure what was happening here!

Ted was a little confused at the exchange that had just happened &amp; he'd taken a quick look at the image and got even more confused "why would you all be on that Lawrence Alexander's desktop?"

Gibbs looked at his friend &amp; flashed a surprised look, they didn't know about the latest development! "We made a connection a short time ago, a very weird &amp; personal connection, between that man &amp; Shan"

"What?" Ted asked, he had no idea what it could be.

"His name is not Lawrence Alexander, it's Alexander McLowry" Shannon said very quietly "He's…"

Ted was shocked "your father? He… died" he took a breath "didn't he?" flashing a look between his two friends.

Vance, Fornell and the others all looked at Ted &amp; Shannon utterly shocked! Her father?

Gibbs shook his head "right there with you, we're still not sure what's going on"

Marcus could see the majority of the people in the room were still fairly stunned &amp; he was conversing with McGee, Dorneget as well as his Lieutenant as they were trying to get a fix on the GPS signal, but he saw his brother's CO approach "sir?"

He saw his brother had come to stand right next to him too.

"Any word on your brother yet?" Lt Col Morris asked, he was extremely concerned about both Captain Bond &amp; Commander Kaplan. He'd basically put the taskforce on hold until it had all been dealt with.

"Nothing… " Marcus started but his phone started to ring &amp; it was the hospital! "Major Bond" he answered

Myles kept his eyes glued to his brother, trying to find any hint of what he was being told.

"Thank you, please call as soon as… yes thank you, myself only" Marcus remarked before hanging up, he saw a lot of eyes were on him, but he looked at his brother "he's in recovery finally, he's not out of the woods, but they've stitched him up as much as they dare right now. They'll call again once he's out of recovery" he was glad that he'd come through surgery! He was so glad!

Myles breath a sigh of relief "Thank heavens!"

"Is he stable?" Kelly asked, to hear he was out of surgery was wonderful, but was he stable?

"For now KG, but it's moment to moment" Marcus answered, he saw the worry etched over her face as well as his brother's "Mike wont let those bastards win, he'd never let them win. He'll be fine" he was trying to lift their spirits, as well as his own.

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief, he was glad that Mike was out of surgery &amp; he would have said something but got interrupted.

"I have your Lieutenant, Major" Mancheeny asserted as he brought them up onto a small screen.

"What have we got Andrews?" Marcus asked, trying to move forward as quickly as possible.

"I went through the history logs from the Frankfurt centre, we got a hit &amp; it actually links in with the timing of the blackbird. The hit was, of all places right near Esberg, Denmark, near their centre, just off the coast" Andrews reported "this confirms the blackbird that we tracked is the one we are after" he added

Marcus nodded "what about live satellite feed?"

"Nothing from our data-link yet, but we can't extend that far, so I linked us into the Frankfurt centre but we've still got no signs of the GPS signal, so I would say that rules out Demark &amp; Norway sir" Andrews reported.

"We really need satellite access" Marcus commented.

That's when Tim got an idea! He instantly brought something up on his screen &amp; prayed!

Gibbs was about to make a suggestion but was interrupted by a loud &amp; very familiar voice!

"McGee!" Abby exclaimed, she was glad he'd called in, she was beside herself with worry! And while she could have gone on the plane, she knew she could help so much more if she stayed in DC, as well as the fact that she was in the middle of a few major cases in DC that she couldn't leave either!

"Abs, no time, I've got a GPS code that we need to locate ASAP, can you hook us up with your NASA friend?" Tim remarked, he really couldn't let her start to ramble!

"I can feed it into our system" Abby suggested as she looked at the log Tim was sharing.

"The signal will likely be over the UK somewhere Abs, your coverage wont reach, we need NASA Satellite access" Tim answered.

Abby hesitated "ahh.."

Vance came &amp; stood behind Tim &amp; looked directly at Abby "get us that satellite link Ms Scuito!" he knew why she was hesitating, she still wasn't allowed to connect with other agencies without permission of at least an SSA. It was a little ironic that they now needed to same access that had gotten her into trouble all those months ago.

Abby nodded "yes sir" she instantly went to dial her friend, hoping he was there.

Gibbs let out a sigh as they waited, seemed the man was there but it had taken Vance speaking with his boss to enable the pair to work together, it was penance they were both paying for what they did from before.

"I can do a search of an approximate area &amp; initiate access with the GPS chip, but I need a target location" Ashton remarked hesitantly, he'd been reprimanded quite badly for his freeness to help Abby that he'd been so cautious in offering help since.

"Northern UK" Gibbs ordered briskly.

There wasn't really anything Kelly could do at the computer anymore, it was all now on this Ashton's shoulders to find her brother's signal, so she'd risen and gone to stand with her parents, she was glad when her dad took her into his hold.

"We'll find him angel" Gibbs said softly into her ear as he pulled her close.

Abby was twitching, she'd wanted to call them all since everything had started with Tony, she couldn't believe he had a sister! She'd then grown horrified when she heard what had happened to Phoenix! She wanted to ask Tim how they all were, but this wasn't the time, and she suddenly got a ding!

Tim had heard the ding through the feed "that something for us?" he asked quickly.

"Yes! BOLO sighting!" Abby exclaimed

"WHO?!" the entire MTAC demanded

"**_Patricia!_**" Abby replied "she was spotted at…. at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston!"

"When?" Tony asked quickly, where was headed now? Did she know where her son &amp; father was? Adopted father, Shannon's dad, his mind really wasn't knowing how to frame this guy!

"13 hours ago!" Abby replied

"Where was she headed?" Tim asked

"Not sure, we got her image off the security feed in the departure terminal, but she's not listed on any flight" Abby answered.

"I've got something!" Ashton asserted

"What?" Gibbs demanded

"Think I got a brief signal, but… crap, just lost it!" Ashton groaned "let me try to get it back"

"Where was it?" Gibbs demanded

"didn't get a clear signal, but somewhere near the Scottish &amp; English border" Ashton replied.

"Carlisle boss" Tim presumed

Gibbs nodded, it was a good assumption, though he hated making assumptions, he was going to say something when his phone rang, he looked at the screen &amp; saw it was Pride! He had no idea why he was calling, the guy was on holidays, he was going to divert it to Alice, like he was doing with every other call but his gut said to answer it "Gibbs"

Pride took a breath, he'd seen all the updates &amp; knew things were tense to say the least, so he'd just make the point he knew would be wanted "I've got eyes on Commander Kaplan, Gibbs"

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**A/N: Well, lets take a breath! Not only have they narrowed down where Phoenix is, but Pride is apparently watching Patricia! That's getting somewhere! Mike's out of surgery, the troops from DC have arrived to help &amp; Abby's helping too! Things are definitely moving a greater pace now &amp; that will continue! **

**But where exactly is Pride? And will they get an exact location on Nix?**

**I was asked to give a listing of characters in A Chane Encounter &amp; realised it was probably worth doing it with this story too, there are a lot of characters around our core group, so if you want to see the listing, check out my facebook page! There's also some artwork coming!**

**Go to the Facebook url &amp; then: /More-Than-He-Dreamed-Of-verse-1672091333008701/**

**Instagram account: shellycreates - ****Twitter: ozshellycreates**

**You know i love to read your thoughts, so review away! More up soon, hopefully!**


	53. Chapter 53

**A/N: Here's another chapter folks! I know, been a little while, but what can i say, RL has been crazy! To my latest followers/favourites, welcome aboard! To my reviewers, thank you so much! Love reading your comments, they keep me ****inspired! **

**To my guest ****reviewers: **

**Guest: Thanks! Glad you liked it, and yes, I'm aware Ziva wasn't in it, she will be back, I assure you!**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks so much, glad you're enjoying this! Yes, some good things are finally happening**

**Momcat: thanks! There is no one alive in this story that was dead in MTHDO, Mike, Ziva &amp; Jack were all alive &amp; present in that, so i'm sure who you're referring to.**

**Now, let's not delay, lets see what NOLA NCIS Agent Dwayne "King" Pride has! I really love Pride &amp; NCIS NOLA, so I just had to include him in this story!**

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"You what?" Gibbs stuttered, was he serious "where are you?"

"The Belfast Central Bus Station" Pride answered

"McGee, bring up SSA Dwayne Pride's GPS signal, now!" Gibbs ordered, he turned to the room "Pride's got eyes on Patricia"

Tony's eyes widened "**_where!?_** **_Is she ok?!_**" an NCIS agent, someone he knew was a legend, had eyes on his sister? This was actually a good thing!

Fornell's eyes widened, Pride? He'd been down in NOLA recently and the guy was about to go on holiday's with his daughter, he didn't realise that it was in Belfast though &amp; what was Kaplan doing in Belfast anyway?

"She looks tired &amp; worried, but physically ok" Pride confirmed, he'd heard the yell through the phone.

"Come on McGee!" Tony huffed, he wanted to see exactly where his sister was!

"Give me a moment Tony" Tim remarked, he first had to find Pride's account details in order to locate him.

"There you go McGee" Abby remarked through the feed, she knew his details.

"Thanks Abs" Tim replied as he inputted the data into the system.

"Montgomery, patch him into the comms" Gibbs instructed, passing her his phone, he wanted everyone to hear Pride &amp; visa versa.

"What's she doing?" Gibbs asked

"Right now I think she's trying to work out if she's being followed, I saw her get off a bus, it had come from the airport" Pride answered.

Tony suddenly saw a satellite image of Belfast come up on the screen &amp; smack bang in the middle was the dot that was highlighting Pride's location, what was she doing in Belfast? Wait a sec "the piece of paper, it mentioned Belfast! Cousins or something?" he really wished he could remember the names of those damn cousins he'd seen at his uncle's funeral! But they didn't pay attention to him, so he didn't pay attention to them!

"Didn't your father originally come from Ireland Shan?" Ted enquired

Shannon just nodded in affirmation.

Gibbs looked to Marcus "Belfast an option?" if Patricia was there could his son be there too?

"It could definitely fit the path sir, and if he headed there and with the signal coming recently from the Scottish English border, they'd have to have stopped for a quick refuel already and they would only be getting to Belfast in about 30 minutes" Marcus explained, he knew what was coming &amp; he and his flight team were ready to go!

"You want me to approach her?" Pride asked "not sure how much longer she will stay here, think she's ready to move out"

"What's your situation? Where's Laurel?" Vance enquired, he knew he was on vacation with his daughter.

"In a nearby coffee shop with a few cousins Director" Pride answered "I saw Kaplan as were entering the bus station on our way out of town" he'd asked them to go grab a coffee while he confirmed if it was who he thought it was.

Gibbs shared a look with Vance before he saw the man dial his phone, they had to get Laurel safe "Director's calling the embassy, he'll have a unit of marines come &amp; get Laurel…." He couldn't get anything else out before getting interrupted.

"She's with my cousins, she's fine" Pride interrupted, he knew his girl safe with his family.

"Not taking any chances anymore Pride" Gibbs remarked, he was not going any chance, ever again! "we wait until they're with her before you approach" he hoped Tony would understand, but he saw the nod of agreement, which he was grateful for.

"Does it look like she is being followed?" Tony asked, he knew why Gibbs was being cautious about the daughter's safety.

"Not that I can see" Pride answered before doing another sweep of the immediate area around Kaplan, whilst trying to remain in shadows himself.

"What's she doing?" Tony asked, he wished they could actually see her!

"She's getting some food, and coffee, I will say that she looks exhausted, she's taking a moment to recharge I would say" Pride answered, as he sipped a coffee himself.

Gibbs shifted focus for a moment "Ashton! Do you have anything?"

"No sir, nothing since that initial signal I'm afraid" Ashton answered, cringing at the look he got in response "I'm trying to boost the receptors to give us a better chance of locating the signal"

"Whatever you have to do to find it!" Gibbs remarked with a stare at the man.

Kelly had sat down right at the back of MTAC, she wanted some space as she'd taken the tablet off her dad &amp; was looking at everything that Agent Le Salle had taken off his hard-drive, this wasn't the easiest thing in the world. She was staring at 2 images of herself, one was a recent headshot she had taken for the firm's website, the other was a photo of herself from the symposium in NOLA.

"When's that one from?" Harry asked quietly, he'd sat down next to her &amp; was looking at the images too. He couldn't believe that her grandfather, Shannon's dad was in fact alive! He was feeling a little dizzy about it, maybe not as dizzy as he felt when he found out Kelly &amp; Shannon were alive, but dizzy all the same!

Kelly took a breath "A symposium I went to in NOLA when I was 21, he was a presenter, I even had a conversation with him. Why wouldn't he have said something? And why did all this come about now? Why…. I'm just not understanding any of this H" she said quietly, there were so many things she wasn't understanding, she couldn't list them all!

Harry put an arm around his friend "don't think anyone is Kells, but we'll figure it all out, we'll find squirt, find your grandfather &amp; get to the bottom of all the why's, we'll do it together Lady LAL."

Being here to support his friend was so important to Harry, having her leave for Naples after only getting the friendship &amp; more to the point his friend back was really tough, he missed her smiling face being mere blocks and minutes away &amp; he'd always promised himself that if she never anything, he'd be there in a flash. She'd gone so many years of having to carry the burden herself, he couldn't let her go anywhere close to that! sure he knew she had her parents, Tim and the others, but he'd always do what he could for her. And as for Phoenix, well, the kid had become like a younger brother to him, so he'd be there for him too! And he would do whatever was required to get him back! He bristled when he heard about him being taken, his dad was looking angry too, but his sister! She was downright terrifying! She was yelling &amp; cursing, and quite literarily shoved him out of the door, he barely had time to say goodbye to his mum!

"Thanks trash can" Kelly remarked as she leaned into him, but she smiled at the person who sat down on her other side "Myles, Harry. Harry, Myles"

"Hey" Myles greeted as he put a comforting hand on his friend's leg.

"Hey" Harry nodded.

Shannon looked up &amp; saw that her girl was sitting in between two people she considered good friends, she was glad for the support her girl had because whatever this situation was, they would all need support. She just squeezed herself into her husband even more, she just didn't want to let go of him at the moment.

Gibbs felt his wife push further into him, he gave her a quick kiss to her cheek "we'll get through this Shan, not leaving your side babe" he like his wife did not want to be separated from her right now, he wasn't sure he could cope if he was.

"They there Pride?" Vance checked, he'd just received a message to say they were.

"The marines have just arrived &amp; are taking Laurel and our cousins back to the embassy Director" Pride answered, he had to admit, he was glad to see the 4 man detail arrive in civilian attire, had they been in uniform it would have given something away. His daughter had gotten a little concerned, as had his cousins, but he assured them it was purely precautionary and wouldn't be for long.

Tony shared a look with Gibbs before speaking "she still in sight? What's she doing?"

Pride felt like slapping the kid, he wouldn't let her out of his sight "she's been walking around the terminal, I think she's still on edge that she could be followed, do you want me to approach her?"

Tony wasn't sure about this, should he approach? He looked to Gibbs for guidance.

Gibbs knew this was a tricky one, either they hung back and watched and she may lead them to wherever she was going, but that meant they wouldn't know what she knew until who knew when. Or they approached &amp; risked setting her off and they'd then not get any information &amp; she might rabbit, or they'd get the information &amp; put her in even more danger than she was in.

"Going to need an answer, looks like she's about ready to head off" Pride remarked, she was edging slowly out of the terminal.

"Your call" Gibbs remarked looking at Tony, he wouldn't make this one.

Tony took a deep breath, he knew the pro's &amp; con's of each decision, but he wanted to get his sister some more protection &amp; knew Pride could take care of not only himself but her too, he was about to speak when someone else did.

"Agent DiNozzo" Lt Col Morris remarked, he'd not have much of an opportunity to speak with the man about his sister thus far, but when the young man looked to him, along with every one else, he spoke again "your sister is no push over, she knows how to take care of herself. I wouldn't bet against her" his Commander was no push over!

That brought Tony some comfort, but still "she might but she's on her own &amp; whoever they are, aren't alone!" he moved closer to the comms "approach her please"

"Here goes" Pride remarked, he'd put an earphone into his ear so he could still hear them &amp; they hear him as he made his move.

Ziva rushed into MTAC "Pride can't approach!" she exclaimed, she just hoped she was in time!

"Pride wait!" Vance, Gibbs &amp; Tony all exclaimed, Ziva had rushed in with Vella hot on her heals.

Pride had been about to approach, he was almost next to her when he heard the call, he quickly pretended to get a call "well hey there baby girl, yea, I'm coming now, be there soon" he ignored her completely as he walked past her &amp; crossed the street.

Gibbs looked between Ziva &amp; Vella "well? Why are we holding off?"

"Uncovered a few more email exchanges of Lancert's boss, they involve someone in Belfast" Vella remarked

"Loch was using the same code he used with the mystery man to exchange with someone in Belfast, it was a warning to watch the airports &amp; bus/train stations for Patricia possibly coming" Ziva continued

"If they're on the lookout for her shouldn't Pride approach, give her a heads up &amp; help get her wherever she's going?" Fornell questioned, if they knew about her going to Belfast shouldn't they give her more protection?

Tony was wondering the same thing.

Ziva took a breath "part of the exchange told the people in Belfast that if they saw anyone approach her that could remotely be military of law enforcement, they were to kill her instantly, along with the approachee"

"Their orders were merely to watch where she goes &amp; only move in, if either someone approaches her, or she goes to a certain location, then they were to try to apprehend her" Vella added

Tony's eyes widened, shit!

"That's presuming those men have found her" Fornell remarked

"Not taking that chance!" Tony exclaimed "Pride can follow &amp; see if they've found her" he turned back to Ziva &amp; Vella "what location?"

"All it said was the place in Castlereagh" Ziva remarked, she could see how much this had affected Tony. She wished she'd been here since hearing about Agent Pride laying eyes on Patricia, but her &amp; Vella had been getting close with these exchanges &amp; she knew getting this information was just as important!

"That's South east" Pride remarked "she's heading off on foot, north west though, its quite densely populated for a fair while, she'll blend into the crowd. I'll follow a way back, I don't think she's being followed but better to safe than sorry" he agreed with Agent DiNozzo, approaching wasn't worth the risk!

Gibbs took a breath "keep sight, we're coming!" he turned to his wife "Patricia's there, probably Phoenix too, if not, we'd be closer to him in Belfast than we would be here" he knew that even if his son wasn't in Belfast, he would be closer to where he would be, and he might be able to get answers from Patricia as to where he was!

Shannon agreed with her husband's logic &amp; gave a nod to show she agreed.

"Your plane ready Major?" Gibbs asked Marcus

"Ready &amp; waiting sir" Marcus nodded

Myles grabbed his cell &amp; texted his Sgt "_whole unit to the lobby, we're moving out!_"

Tristan agreed with Gibbs, getting them to Belfast was an extremely good starting point, there was going to a tricky point though "I'll keep things going here but who do you want to take?" she asked him, she did flash a look to the Director, but he seemed to busy speak privately with Pride, he really would let them run their teams.

Gibbs considered it, he knew he couldn't take all of the teams, and he had Myles Rangers, along with Fornell, Mike, Vance, Dorneget Ted &amp; Harry. He saw the look in Vella's eyes, he wanted to come, he knew though that those feelings would be mirrored in all of his SSA's "Wu back yet?"

"Here boss" Wu called coming into MTAC "Jonas will be ok, broken leg &amp; arm, cuts &amp; bruises aplenty, he had minor internal bleeding, but they've patched him up"

"Good" Gibbs nodded, glad that his agent would be ok, it'd take time to recover but he'd get there. There was one thing he knew though "Wu, you &amp; your team are to gear up, we're leaving &amp; have Kruse's team gear up too, he's already at the airport so make sure Lovett takes his gear" he knew Wu would be desperate to go given what happened to Jonas &amp; he'd already agreed with him to let him be apart of it.

"Yes Boss" Wu agreed, he was glad to be going.

"Vella, I know you &amp; the others want to come too, but we need people here working the information, we're still going to need leads chased down, and we need bodies here in case anything else comes up" Gibbs said to his SSA, he could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Yes Boss" Vella nodded, he was disappointed, but he understood the reasoning, and even with only taking 2 teams, there were going to be a hell of a lot of bodies going, considering the Army Rangers unit &amp; the people here from DC. But he a thought "could we maybe get Aymond, Dyson or even Dorneget to stay boss? With all of them going &amp; McGee, we're short of IT guru's"

Gibbs realised he was right, all of them going &amp; Jonas out of action, the IT guru's in the building were greatly diminished, he considered who would be best to stay, but he didn't like breaking up teams like this.

"I'm happy to remain Gibbs" Dorneget stated, he didn't want a team-member remaining behind, he knew that was a tough ask &amp; he could get the job done that was needed.

"Appreciate it" Gibbs nodded "let's go!"

Myles was leading the group out of MTAC, they were finally on the move! He wondered if they could quickly detour via the hospital, he knew though Mike wouldn't hear of it, he'd demand his brother go after Nix first &amp; go see him later, 'I'm not going anywhere' would be his brother's line. He pulled up short though when he got to the top of the stairs "what the fuck?!" he growled.

Kelly had been right next to him and knew where his eyes were focused on, down by the lift was Col Marks &amp; Lt Col Morris, but they were speaking with a third man, she flashed a look to her friend but before she could say anything Marcus spoke.

"Shit!" Marcus groaned

Myles took a breath &amp; looked at his brother "did you?" he snarled.

"**NO** I did not!" Marcus replied sternly.

Kelly flashed a look between the two brothers before looking to her mum, they were both looking really pissed off that this person was here, she just didn't know why?

Shannon saw her daughter's concern at the way Myles &amp; Marcus had reacted to seeing the latest visitor &amp; she too wondered why it was so bad, but she didn't get a chance to say anything. She watched as Myles threw himself down the stairs, and he didn't even go down all of the stairs, he threw himself over the railing in a rage &amp; went straight for the man. She grew concerned at what he would do, he looked like he would actually get physical with the man.

Marcus saw his brother take off "Myles! Myles don't!" he called giving chase, this wasn't good!

* * *

**A/N: So they're finally on their way in the hunt to find Phoenix &amp; get to Patricia! Just why is she in Belfast though? And is Phoenix there too? But who on earth has arrived now that's got the Bond boys so rilled up?**

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	54. Chapter 54

**A/N: Hello my loyal readers! Thank you so much for sticking with me, i know its been a while, what can i say, RL has been a punish! Uni is back up &amp; this semester looks to be a chaotic one, so i'm not sure how often I will able to update, but I will do my best to not leave it too long between chapters, but please be patient. To my recent favourites/followers, welcome aboard! To my reviewers, thank you so much! You keep me inspired!**

**Now, let's see who's got the Bond boys so riled up!**

* * *

Myles stalked up to the trio of men, not even caring that there were two Colonel's present as he focused on the third man "what the fuck do you think your doing here?" he snarled inches from his father's face.

"Myles" Marcus whispered as he pulled his brother back a step, he needed to keep distance between the pair, but he looked at his father "what **_are you_** doing here?" what was his father doing here?

Kelly had tried to follow as quickly as she could, she couldn't work out what was so bad about their father, the Admiral turning up? Myles was looking downright furious &amp; Marcus, well he was looking angry, but also concerned about his brother. She flashed a worrying look towards her mum and saw the concern etched on her face too as they both followed the boys.

"My son has been seriously injured, you think I would stay away" came the calm reply.

Shannon was only a few steps behind the boys and had her husband right beside her, the others were all fairly close too, but she saw the curiosity on his face "Rear Admiral Marvin Bond, Retired, the boys father"

Gibbs eyes flashed wide open, this was the Bond boys father? Looking at the guy he could certainly tell where the boys got their features from, he was a solid 6ft, slim but solid frame with a head of hair, well, silver wasn't all that bad. He just couldn't work out why both Myles &amp; Marcus were put off by his appearance, surely having their father here would be an added support?

"Mike has made it abundantly clear that he doesn't want anything to do with you! And I'm the same! Take a hike!" Myles snarled.

Marcus kept a firm grip on his brother's arm, while he really didn't think this was a good thing to get into right here, he knew it wasn't going to go down any other way, his brother was far too riled to calm down right now. He could understand it, he knew all of his brothers feelings on the matter, and he felt it too. He still wished it could go down elsewhere, this wouldn't be a good thing to go down here in front of everyone.

Lt Col Morris had no idea of the animosity that existed between the junior Bond men &amp; their father, from everything he knew they got on well, very well. Something had to have happened, he took a few steps back from the Bonds as did Col Marks as they shared a look, neither knew what could be done in such a situation to bring calm. Regardless of the ranks, this was clearly a family situation.

"Regardless of feelings, my son is seriously injured, I will not stand by when I can be here for him, no matter how he or you feel about me" Marvin remarked, he knew his son's feelings, but he wouldn't stand by &amp; do nothing.

Myles clenched &amp; pulled free of his brother's hold "I won't let you near him, I'll post men at his door! Men without honour have no place in our family!"

Kelly's eyes widened, Myles had just accused his dad of no honour? She saw her mum was equally shocked.

"Careful boy" Marvin remarked calmly, he did not like his son accusation, especially when he didn't understand everything.

"No" Myles bit back "how may times? How many damn fucking times?" he barked "I asked! I begged! I fucking begged you! Mike fucking begged you! Hundreds of times he begged you! Even Marc &amp; Max tried! And you did nothing! Not a damn-fucking thing!"

Kelly's eyes widened, she started to understand what Myles was venting about, she just didn't know where this was leading. She flashed a look to her mum &amp; could see the same feeling was mirrored on her face.

Shannon knew her daughter had caught onto what Myles was venting about, she knew this could get very sticky, very sticky indeed. She just wasn't sure what she could do to calm them, him down right now.

"You don't know everything Myles" Marvin remarked calmly, he knew they had an audience but he wasn't going to goad his son into the fight he clearly wants to have "I think you should actually let me talk to you &amp; explain to you what I know" he though tried to avoid looking at anyone baring his son's, he really didn't know where to start with everything.

Myles couldn't believe his father was just standing there perfectly calm, it was infuriating him even more! "Know? What **_you_** know? Well, what **_I_** know? I know plenty!" he bit back "I know between my brothers &amp; I that we begged over a thousand times! I know that we stood up to them! And I know that you did nothing!"

"Myles" Marcus whispered "not now!" he urged, he really hated what was happening.

"Yes now!" Myles retorted "you know as well as I do what he did!" he snarled darling his brother to disagree with him.

"**_Yes I do!_**" Marcus replied, he did know &amp; he actually knew more than his brothers did but "I just don't think its wise to discuss it all here &amp; now" he added, trying to calm his brother.

"Wise? Wise?" Myles asked in astonishment "what would have been fucking wise was if **_he_** would have done something!" he exclaimed before turning back to his father "A few calls, that's all it would have fucking taken! A few damn-fucking phone calls from **_you_** &amp; everything would have worked out!"

"You don't understand what you're talking about" Marvin remarked, he really didn't want to get into it, but it was looking less &amp; less likely that he'd be able to not say something.

"Understand? I understand perfectly! You have no honour!" Myles spat "I can almost look past our pleading falling on deaf ears, I can almost look past you not making, what, what would it have taken you? a few phone calls that would have unearthed all the fuck ups that happened. I could almost look past it" he finished menacingly.

Ted had been watching this tense exchange with concern, he was now understanding what they boy was so pissed off at. He was clearly angry with his father for not doing anything back then against MacDonald despite their requests for him to do something. But by the manner in which the older Bond looked he was sure there was more to it than him simply 'doing nothing.' He was certain of it, and the look on Shannon's face further confirmed it, she wasn't liking this, she was worried about it. If he had done nothing, she wouldn't be looking so troubled at it all. He was however curious as to why he hadn't done more than whatever he had done, which clearly didn't seem like much to his sons. He could see he wasn't alone, everyone that was watching was starting to get the same understanding &amp; curiosity. This last statement by Myles though had him worried, if he was content to sort of let this 'not doing anything' go, there was clearly something he wouldn't let go, but what was it?

Marvin tensed, he wondered if Michael had told his brother what he'd confessed? "I think we need to speak privately Myles" he turned to his oldest "privately Marcus" he added, hoping his son would agree and manage to rein his brother in like he always could.

Marcus had to admit he agreed with his father, this was best discussed in private "I think private would be best" he said quietly.

"I don't" Myles barked, he looked to his brother "there's something Mike didn't get a chance to tell you" he turned back to his father "go on say it!"

"Myles, please in private" Marvin said, trying to plead with his son.

"Perhaps it would be best for you three to speak in private" Shannon said, she was really feeling bad for Marvin, she knew he didn't _'do nothing'_, she knew he did plenty, but the boys nor her two knew about that.

Myles could see his father was going to reply to her &amp; he snarled "don't!" he took a breath "you don't have the right to speak to her! How dare you for even thinking you could! Mike told me you know"

Marcus was wondering just what it was, he'd had a feeling there was something his 2 brothers weren't telling him. He knew it was about this whole mess, but neither budged when he tried to get it out, not even on the flight to Naples could he get out of his brother.

"Myles, don't, please" Marvin begged

"Begging, what did you used to call that? Unbecoming of a man, a gentleman, an officer? You know what's unbecoming of man, a gentleman, an officer? Being without a backbone! Being without honour!" Myles barked "how the fuck could do that?! How on this earth could you fucking walk past her! You walked past her &amp; did nothing! Not a damn-fucking thing!"

Gibbs eyes widened, what was Myles saying?

Marcus looked at his brother, this wasn't sounding right, he narrowed his eyes on his father none the less.

"I wasn't sure it was her" Marvin remarked quietly, he'd regretted his confession as soon as he had told Michael, he was regretting it yet again.

"Weren't sure?" Myles bit "how many redhead ladies could have possibly be on that man's arm in Houston! You did fucking nothing when you saw a woman who you thought to be dead walking down the street, nothing!" he exclaimed

Col Marks took a further step back as he shared a wide-eyed look with Tristan, this wasn't good, at all! He though was thinking the same thing as Lt Bond, if this man had walked past her without doing anything, he had no honour! None!

Gibbs eyes now narrowed on the man, walk past his wife? He felt like growling in disgust! Utter disgust!

"Mike's right, I want nothing to do with you! You stay away from me! Stay away from Mike! And so help me, if you even consider coming near Louise or my child you will not like the consequences! Stay away from me, stay away from my family!" Myles finished in a yell before decking his father "you're no father of mine, **_Admiral_**"

Kelly was standing there utterly shocked, she had no idea how to process any of it, but she couldn't believe he'd actually punched his father, and his father had fallen down from the shock of it. She really wanted to say something to him but she saw him turn.

Myles turned abruptly from the Admiral to face Gibbs "I'll have my team squared away &amp; waiting at the plane sir, we'll be good to go as soon as required sir" he was not his father, he would do whatever required to help them, he'd do **_anything_**.

Gibbs could see the young man was trying to recompose himself, and he was also guessing he was trying to avoid his wife's gaze "thank you Lieutenant" he saw the Ranger turn &amp; press the lift button.

"I'm going with Myles" Kelly remarked, she really needed to, well, who knew what, but she needed to go with him. She moved towards him as she spoke.

Gibbs nodded, he understood his daughter's reasoning "sure" he knew Tim would plant himself on her hip, but he also saw Harry move, clearly going go too.

Tim had seen that Myles moved to put himself between Kelly &amp; his father, he'd also seen Marcus do likewise, neither were allowing the man to get a word to her.

Lovett really didn't want to hang around anymore &amp; knew Gibbs would want a sizeable group with Kelly "we'll meet you downstairs McGee, let's go" she said motioning to her team to follow her down the stairs.

Gibbs was glad for the numbers that was going with his girl.

Marcus kept his eyes locked on his father as he waited until the lift had safely taken Kelly &amp; his brother away. He watched as he stood back up &amp; decided to beat him to the punch "don't!" he barked.

"Marc" Marvin tried, he was still rather shocked that his son had hit him!

"No" Marcus shook his head "for so long I tried to play peacemaker between them &amp; you. I tried telling them that you did what you could. And yea, I know you got him to back off, when they were with us. But this? I'm going to have to agree with my brothers, you have no honour. How could you do something like that? What would mum say about it? I know it wasn't just us that spoke to you about their situation, mum tried too! And what would she say to you now? I'll tell you, she'd be angry, upset but most importantly, she'd be disappointed! Disappointed &amp; disgusted in the man you turned into, a man without pride, a man without honour!"

Vance had been watching on &amp; like most, he was in a state of stunned silence, he could see Shannon didn't really know how to react to what they'd just heard, he just hoped the Major would be quick in dealing with the man &amp; get him out of the building, otherwise Gibbs would.. yes well, he was looking decidedly pissed!

"It's not what you think" Marvin tried, hearing those words were like daggers "Let me explain, please" his eldest always let him try to explain and listened to him.

"Not now" Marcus shook his head "We're leaving, I'm doing my part to help them, Myles is too &amp; Mike, well Michael did what he always did, he stood toe to toe with those bastards, and you, you're going nowhere near him! I'm striking you off the access list, I'm his power of attorney, and I won't let you near him"

"Marcus…" Marvin tried again

"NO" Marcus interrupted "I don't have time for this or you right now, so let me be clear &amp; blunt, I'm now head of this family, so don't you dare consider trying to contact any of my brothers! And heed Myles warning about going near Louise, the same goes for Sara, stay away from them! And if you even think about trying to contact Maximus, you will not like the outcome, **_Admiral_**!" He took a breath as he saw a marine MP "Lieutenant, pleas escort this man out of this building, and have a pair of MP's posted at the hospital, he is not allowed in to see Captain Michael Bond" he ordered

Lt Andrews had come upstairs after receiving word that there was a verbal altercation underway, but upon receiving this instruction from the Air Force Major he looked to Col Marks for confirmation to carry them out, and he got it almost instantly "yes Major" he nodded, as he &amp; his Corporal approached "sir, please come with us"

Marvin knew he could do nothing but agree so he nodded in defeat, the visit to this building really hadn't gone to plan! He hesitated though a few steps away as he watched his son turn towards Shannon, he was curious as to what he would say, though the glare from the man standing next to her was ever present, he presumed this was her husband.

Marcus watched as his father started to head away &amp; turned to face Gibbs "my bird will be ready &amp; waiting to go as soon as you're ready sir"

Gibbs had been giving the guy a death glare, but he looked to Marcus "thank you Major, we'll get the gear sorted &amp; be there asap"

"Yes sir" Marcus nodded as he pressed the button for the lift.

Vance shared a look with Fornell.

"I'll come with you Major, get the Sec Nav's bird ready for departure too" Fornell remarked, he really wanted to get out this situation and was glad for the look from Vance.

"We'll get the gear sorted boss" Wu offered as he hastily herded his team down the hall.

"We'll help" Tony offered his fellow SSA, as he too herded his team towards the hall. He made sure though to have them all herd the man towards the stairs. He was feeling rather angry at the man himself, and wanted him out of the building just as much as the Bond brothers did.

Vance saw the Tristan herded all the other agents from the vicinity away from Gibbs &amp; Shannon. He too moved down the hall, but he wasn't alone he saw that Ted, Col Marks, Lt Col Morris &amp; even Jack had moved with him, all of them clearly wanting to give the pair space. He could see that while Gibbs was angry, he was concerned about how his wife's emotional state was coping, she was certainly dealing with a lot already, and this had just added a totally new situation to think about, and not a good thought pattern either!

* * *

**A/N: This wasn't where I really wanted to leave it, but its what I had written &amp; wanted to get it up for you all! So the Bond boys are a little upset with their dad.. sorry, they're pissed off! Question is, do they have a reason to, or is there something they don't know? This'll have to wait though, as Marcus said, they have more important things to deal with right now!**

**Just my regular plug for my Facebook &amp; fan pages, check them out, there also some more artwork coming!**

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**Sorry to say, I'm not sure when I'll get my next chapter up, but I will try not make it too long.. in the meantime please let me know your thoughts! reading your reviews keeps me inspired!**


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N: I know folks, it's been a while! But here's a new chapter! For those that follow on facebook, you'll have seen I've been fairly busy for the last few months with work &amp; university, but I can gladly say that I'm on university leave for 2 months &amp; am currently on vacation! So I've gotten a chance to get back into my writing, which I've dearly missed!**

**Thank you for those who've waited patiently, lets get straight into it!**

* * *

Myles came out of the lift trying to regain his composure "we're loading up!" he ordered towards his men, who all reacted instantly, jumping up &amp; grabbing their packs and moving to follow their LT.

Tim knew he should organise the vehicles, he saw his fellow SFA "Lovett, you &amp; your team are in the lead car, Lieutenant, your team can follow us in 2 vehicles, MP's will drive them" he saw Lt Andrews "Lieutenant, you're driving us"

Kelly had kept her eyes on Myles, the tension in his body was palpable, she just headed with the group towards the vehicles. She saw Harry make a detour to get his gear and that's when she noticed that he was already wearing his SWAT uniform &amp; had brought with him his &amp; his dad's gear &amp; weapons, the full kit and all. She refocused on Myles though, he was almost shaking as he neared the SUV. She knew Tim wanted her in the front seat, he always wanted to her sit in the front seat, but her friend needed her support, so approaching the car door, she put her hand into his &amp; pulled him into the backseat with her.

Tim saw Kelly go into the backseat, while he didn't like it because of her motion sickness he wouldn't comment. He did though change things around, he took the keys out of Lt Andrew's hands &amp; motioned to him to go into the front passenger seat, Harry he motioned to put himself into the backseat with the others. He would drive, at least then he was in command of the vehicle in case anything happened &amp; could make sure it drove in a manner that wouldn't be a problem for Kelly's motion sickness.

Myles needed to get out of the SUV, he really needed to vent &amp; he needed to do it without Kelly anywhere near him! As soon as they pulled up in front of his brother's plane he jumped out trying to distance himself "Montgomery! I want all gear checked &amp; stored ASAP! We're heading for Belfast, so everyone change into civies!" he barked as he went straight for the plane.

"Yes sir!" Montgomery answered "you heard the LT, move men!" he barked to the team. He couldn't help but notice that there was something up with his LT, he was definitely pissed off &amp; given he'd seen the Admiral enter the building, he wondered if he had something to do with the mood change?

Myles caught sight of his brother's Sargent "Lewis! Where's Anderson?"

"Here" Anderson called from depths of the plane, what was Myles doing here?

"Something wrong?" Kruse asked

"We're heading for Belfast, Commander Kaplan's been spotted, this plane needs to be ready for departure as soon as the others get here" Myles answered "fuel up &amp; start pre-flight"

Anderson took a moment to take in his fellow Lieutenant, something wasn't right "we're already fuelled, but I'll start pre-flight, Sgt Lewis, take over for me here"

"Yes sir" Lewis replied

"Myles, can we talk please" Kelly asked, she'd followed him out of concern, he'd said nothing but had steadily grown nervous shakes, she was really worried about him.

"Need to get this plane &amp; the teams ready for departure Kelly, we'll talk later" Myles answered, he really didn't want to speak to her right now!

Kelly's eyes widened "oh no, we're talking now! You calling me Kelly tells me everything I need to know, come with me" she stated holding her hand out for him to take, when he didn't do it straight away "now mister!" she asserted. She knew he was purposely distancing himself by calling her Kelly, he never did that unless he really didn't want to talk!

Myles huffed as he took her hand, she could be so stubborn!

Kelly led them out of the plane &amp; around to the other-side where there were fewer people so they could have some privacy. She noticed that the MP's that had escorted them were now taking up position around the 2 planes to stand watch. She managed to find a spot tucked away from prying eyes, well, as much as possible as she looked at him "talk to me"

"This can wait" Myles remarked

"No it can't" Kelly retorted "you're rung tighter than a damn noose Myles! Talk to me"

Myles let out a sigh "you don't need to hear this KAGy, you shouldn't have to hear it"

"Since when did that stop us from talking about things? There have been plenty of things we shouldn't have done, but we did them &amp; spoke about them, no?"

Myles couldn't help but give her a small smile, she was definitely right about that, they'd done plenty of things &amp; spoken about them that they really shouldn't have done, but.. "this is different"

"Ok, so don't talk about 'it', tell me how you're feeling" Kelly remarked, she knew he was right, because she really didn't want to hear about 'it' either.

"Damn near pissed off! I'm so furious I could punch my way through this damn plane &amp; not even care!" Myles vented, he so needed that punching bag again! "I'm actually hating him, and I'd never thought I'd feel that way about him. I can't get my head around it!"

"Don't try" Kelly said simply "don't try to understand it, just let yourself feel. If anyone, anyone knows what you're talking about, it's me. I've had plenty of things I couldn't get my head around &amp; I would spiral out of control trying to understand but sometimes you just can't, especially in the short term. HELLO! Look at what we're dealing with right now, I have no damn clue what the hell is going on! None! I can't get my head around it one little bit, and I know if I tried before we have all the facts &amp; before we've gotten squirt back my mind would collapse, utterly collapse. So I'm not trying, I'm just letting myself feel and doing my best to work myself through it, with everyone's support. The only person you hurt by trying when you can't is yourself. So don't try Myles"

Myles had listened to every word she'd said "you're right KAGy, I shouldn't let it get to me, especially now. I'll be ok, thanks" he took a breath as he closed the space between them "and we'll find him, I promise you Kells, we'll get squirt back! Won't rest until he's back. He owes me a jersey after all" he finished with a small smile.

Kelly let out a small smile "thanks"

"Mike was right" Marcus remarked

Kelly &amp; Myles spun around quickly to find him standing just on the other side of the wing, resting his hands on it.

"About what?" Kelly asked curiously.

"You should be a counsellor" Marcus answered "you're too good with people and getting them to calm down"

"Those qualities are pretty good for lawyers too" Kelly smirked

"And she's got the nasty stare down pat for it too" Myles smirked

Marcus laughed, he'd arrived &amp; was checking the plane when he heard everything Kelly had said, and like his brother it had calmed him down considerably "and maybe you can use it to help get everyone on these planes?"

Kelly had to smile at that, but there was one thing she knew "think dad'll be able to manage that quite easily as soon as they get here" even though she was beyond worried, confused and scared, she couldn't help but be glad for her few moments with her friend, it always helped. She wondered how her mum was doing though, because it was so much to take in!

Marcus could only agree as he went back to checking his plane for take-off, having finished it he decided to go to the other plane &amp; saw his counter-part, along with that FBI Agent, but he couldn't remember his name.

Fornell saw Marcus approach "Major Marcus Bond, this is Major Stephanie Owen, she in charge of the Sec Nav's plane"

"Major Owen" Marcus greeted

"Major Bond" Owen greeted back "so we're going to Belfast, my Lieutenant is already plotting the course…"

"I'm on point, you're on my wing" Marcus said interrupting, he wouldn't let her take command, besides he had a few years on her at least.

Owen raised an eyebrow "am I?" she was the one in charge of Sec Nav's, the Sec Nav's, plane &amp; he thought he could take command?

"Yes" Marcus asserted "does your bird have an extensive control centre to monitor transmissions, guidance's and radar telemetry? Does your bird have a defence warning systems? No, it's an air-capable lounge suite, and besides I'd say I have a few years on you"

"I've flown hundreds of hours of combat missions, and this lounge suite is owned by the Sec Nav" Owen retorted

Fornell could see this stand off lasting a while, so he'd intervene "and the Sec Nav's not here, Director Vance is in charge &amp; he has authorised Major Bond to take command of the flight &amp; both aircrafts &amp; crew, ok?" he said as gently as possible but with enough force to show Major Owen he wouldn't take her lip. He also knew that Vance would be more than fine with Major Bond taking command, the guy was clearly an ace pilot &amp; with all of his ties to the situation he would not deny this to him, besides he did have a few years of seniority on the lady.

Owen could do nothing but concede "yes sir" she answered Fornell.

"Glad its settled" Marcus remarked before continuing "make sure you're ready for take-off within 10 minutes, if you need assistance to meet the deadline I will send one of my team over to you"

"Ten minutes?!" Owen remarked, was he serious?

"Yes! I want both birds ready for take off within 10 minutes, we're on a clock! We'll be pushing the engines as fast as we can, so make sure you've got enough fuel. I will have back-up canteens in our cargo for wherever we need to go next" Marcus said crisply, but then he spotted one of his team "Airman Fletcher!"

"Sir?" Fletcher asked promptly jogging over

"Assist Major Owen &amp; her team with their pre-flight prep, 10 minutes Fletcher!" Marcus commanded before heading back to his bird

"Yes sir!" Fletcher responded

Marcus headed straight for his bird &amp; saw 2 of Myles men &amp; one of his own sorting things out in the rear cargo hold "Sanchez! I want everything sorted with 7 minutes! You need more hands, find them! There are plenty of bodies around! We're taking off in 10 minutes or when Gibbs gets here!"

"Yes sir!" Sanchez replied, but he shared a look with Sargent Fisher, they had a lot to sort out.

Sgt Fisher looked around the plane towards a few people congregating "we need bodies to pack the gear!" he suddenly saw 5 people move towards him &amp; he was glad.

Marcus entered his bird &amp; took stock "Lewis! Place the systems on flight-ready! We'll re-connect once airborne! Make sure all seating is set to optimum for high speed &amp; get me some sick bags. We can hold 20 passengers, the rest will have to go on the Sec Nav's, arrange who goes on which plane, but the Gibbs's will be on this plane!" he really didn't care who went on which plane, except for the Gibbs's, they would be on his plane, he wouldn't let that Major Owen take them! He had to protect them &amp; as such he had to have them with him!

"Yes sir!" Lewis was nodding, but her eyes widened at the last request, sick bags?

"I'll sort out who's flying on which plane Sargent" Kruse offered, she had enough to do &amp; they couldn't do any more tracking until they were airborne anyway.

Marcus entered the cockpit "Anderson?"

"We'll be flight ready in 8 minutes sir" Anderson replied, he'd ensured the plane was at a state of almost ready since they got here "Also arranged extra loads of fuel for the Sec Nav's bird in our hold as their cargo hold can't store fuel. I've alerted the tower &amp; gotten a flight path already mapped out"

Marcus nodded "thanks" he started his own pre-flight, he looked over the initial flight plan that Anderson had surmised &amp; was liking what he was seeing, except "I don't want us going over mainland England, let's fly out over &amp; then up the channel" he'd prefer to fly over the ocean than land.

"Right" Anderson nodded &amp; then relayed the change request to the tower as he saw his Major leave his seat.

"The bags sir" Lewis remarked handing them to him

"Thank you" Marcus nodded before moving towards the seats.

* * *

Gibbs pulled his wife into his side, nice &amp; tight, he didn't say anything, he just held her. He knew she was more than off kilter. He was furious at what he'd heard &amp; when they got through this current situation he would definitely look into speaking with that Marvin Bond!

Gibbs felt his wife pull back slightly &amp; could see something in her eyes "let's just go &amp; get our boy babe, everything else we deal with later. One step at a time, one problem a time, we'll get through it all together and I will never leave your side"

Shannon swallowed as she nodded, she really couldn't think clearly, she had too much going on, she felt like she was getting it from all sides!

Gibbs started them towards the lift as he searched for his dad, and he was right there "ready dad?"

Jack took a breath "I think I'll stay here Jethro, I want to come more than anything, but I'm not sure I'm up to galavanting around and I don't want to be slowing you down." While he was desperate to go, he knew his limitations &amp; it wouldn't do any good for him to be out there &amp; slowing everyone else down.

Gibbs wished his dad wouldn't have been so selfless, having him around was a calming influence, but he knew he was right, still.. "you sure?"

"Yes Jethro I'm sure. I look forward to see you two back here, with my grandson, you'll find him, I have no doubt, the rest can be dealt with later" Jack answered placing a hand on both his son's &amp; Shannon's shoulders.

Shannon just gave him a sad smile in return.

"We wont be coming back without him dad" Gibbs remarked, as he clasped his dad's shoulder "just stay inside this building please"

"Won't be going anywhere" Jack nodded

Gibbs caught Vella's eye &amp; saw him give him a nod, he'd keep an eye on him. He then shifted focus Vance, Ted, Tristan, Col Marks &amp; Lt Col Morris were all having a hushed discussion just past the lifts, he also noted that Mike had come back up from interrogation &amp; Hollis was with him too. He wasn't sure what it was about, but he needed to get going "ready to go" he remarked towards the group.

Tristan turned &amp; decided to speak for the group "Gibbs, Franks thinks it might be an idea to take Delilah with you"

"She knows these people, she could prove useful" Franks commented, the woman had seemed genuinely sorry for what her cousins had done, but wasn't really helping with anything new, but she could still provide something useful.

"You want to cart her around like a felon? Her family might be involved but she knows nothing" Hollis remarked, whilst she was shocked at what Delilah's family had done, she knew her analyst had no part in it &amp; hated that she was being treated so forcefully, especially by someone she learnt wasn't even an NCIS Agent anymore! How he was given access and permission to undertake what he was doing was a mystery to her.

"Until we are convinced she had no part in any of this, we will treat her accordingly" Gibbs remarked briskly eyeing her off "bring her with us, but she goes on the other plane"

Franks nodded "I'll go escort her"

Lt Col Morris shared a look with Col Marks before following him "I'll arrange your transport escort Franks" he'd use the same marines that he took before to the abandoned air-strip to provide the detail.

"I've got vehicles ready &amp; waiting downstairs to take you over to the planes" Col Marks remarked, he had plenty of them ready &amp; he would drive them over himself

Gibbs just nodded &amp; pressed for the lift.

"I'll keep everything going, we'll be in touch &amp; I'll keep an eye on Jack, we'll be right here waiting for you all to come home" Tristan remarked towards two people she really considered friends more than anything.

Gibbs knew his wife was beyond being able to speak right now, she was trying to process too much "Be in touch" he merely said, he couldn't say more because he just couldn't manage it. He just needed to get going, get them both going.

* * *

Marcus headed out of the cockpit &amp; that's when he saw Gibbs enter "sir"

"How long until we're ready for take off?" Gibbs asked entering the plane.

"Within 10 minutes sir" Marcus answered, the man was looking really tense &amp; he was wondering if the conversation with his dad had given the man reservations about himself &amp; his brother?

Gibbs couldn't help but be impressed, he was about to walk to towards his girls when he considered something "you're your own person" he said simply.

Marcus's eyes widened, the relief flooded him like nothing, draining the sudden nerves that had crept in "thank you, and these are just in case" he finished handing the sick bags over to him. He knew that the man would know what they were for.

"Thanks" Gibbs nodded, his girl didn't usually have issues with flying, but this plane was the smallest one they'd been on, so maybe it might be needed. He turned to look at his girl, she was sitting in the second row &amp; his wife had already joined her.

Gibbs sat himself down between his girls "we'll be taking off in a few minutes" he said quietly as he brought them into his hold.

"Where's gramps?" Kelly asked quietly.

"He's staying here angel, doesn't think he's up to coming" Gibbs answered "he'll stay at NCIS until we get back. Megan &amp; Ian will keep him safe"

Marcus was with his brother just outside the plane, they were overseeing all the gear &amp; final dividing up of personel. It looked like DiNozzo's team, the two SWAT officers, who he now knew were Ted &amp; Harry Taylor, the Gibbs neighbours from DC, Myles' team, along with that FBI Agent Fornell &amp; Dr Mallard were on his bird, the rest were going on the SecNav's bird. He gave his brother a glance and saw him trying to refocus, they had so much to talk about but now wasn't the time, there was only one thing left to say "I've barred him from the hospital, he wont come within 100 feet of the place"

"Good" Myles bit out.

Marcus saw his fellow pilot head across "ready Owen?" he asked

"Yes, we're loaded &amp; all personnel are on board Major" Owen replied formally.

"Good, follow us up, and stay on my right wing, our radar will be ample to see what's going on around us" Marcus remarked

"You expecting trouble up there?" Owen asked, she didn't think that should be a concern.

"I always expect trouble, and right now more so that ever" Marcus replied "let's go" he saw Fletcher "close it up Airman!"

"Already on it sir!" Fletcher replied.

Marcus followed his airman to ensure the rear cargo was secured, before promptly entering the plane "we're leaving, everyone buckle up" he panned the room "I hope to have us there within 3 hours, once we're at the right altitude we'll reconnect with your facility as well as Agent Pride"

Gibbs just nodded, he looked to his left across the aisle where Tony was sitting "Pride wont let anything happen to her Tony, we'll be there soon, we'll work it all out for all of us, we're in this together"

"I know boss" Tony nodded, he was so thankful that Gibbs had taken a moment to check on him, I mean the guy had so much to deal with himself, but he still cared enough to connect with him &amp; that meant the world to Tony. It's no wonder he felt like a father, no, not a father, Gibbs was his dad. And he had faith in his dad, he trusted his dad, more than himself sometimes &amp; this was no different. But thinking about everything they'd discovered, was there more of a connection that what they felt? Were they somehow connected more? He didn't know, it was just one of the things that they had to figure out, but as his dad just told him, they'd do it together &amp; that was the biggest relief for him right in this moment.

* * *

**A/N: So they're on their way to Belfast! Just what will they discover? Can they find Phoenix, Alexander &amp; Jake before its too late? And could Tony's musing be right, is there a greater connection between them?**

**I promise to not leave the next chapter for too long, but next on my agenda is getting ACE back out of mothballs! Updates will be soon.**

**Remember you can follow me on facebook &amp; Instagram for updates too!**

**Go to the Facebook url &amp; then: /More-Than-He-Dreamed-Of-verse-1672091333008701/**

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**Thank you so much for your paitence, and remember I love to read your comments and thoughts, they inspire me, so read &amp; review! More to come..**


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N: First chapter of 2017, Happy New Year loyal readers! Your support keeps this story growing &amp; going, so please keep it coming this year!**

**Guest reviewer: momcat: Thank you, it was a very busy time for me yes. They're all on the way yes &amp; Tim was with them, he drove Kelly to the plane after all!**

**Now, without further ado, let's see how things are going in the skies..**

* * *

Pride was following Patricia wondering where on earth she was going, she'd walk a half dozen blocks &amp; then change directions. She was definitely trying to throw off anyone who could be following her, he didn't think she'd seen him yet and he couldn't see anyone else following her, but at the rate she was going Gibbs would arrive before she got to wherever she was going. The simple fact that he couldn't see anyone following her was probably the best thing they had going right now.

As he made the next turn he felt his phone vibrate "Pride" he answered, he had a feeling who it was, but he'd kept the phone in his pocket to try to remain focused on what he was doing.

"What ya up to?" Gibbs enquired, trying to sound casual but utterly tense. He knew that with Pride following her out in the open he couldn't sound too business like.

Pride smiled "oh you know sweety, just walking the city, you know how much I love walking around"

Gibbs smiled, he knew very well that one thing Pride hated was walking around without a destination. It was a clue, Patricia was still walking around in circles, she hadn't gotten anywhere of note "when you think you're going to be home?"

"Not sure, these cobbled streets are just so rich in history, might be a while before I've had enough of seeping it all in, might be better to meet you somewhere out here" Pride replied

Gibbs gave a groan, Patricia was clearly not going to be reaching a destination anytime soon. On the one hand it meant that they'd get there before she got wherever she was going, on the other it meant that she was clearly still on edge about being followed &amp; allowed more time for her to discover Pride was following her, and they'd then quite possibly loose track of her. There wasn't a lot they could do though, he looked at his watch "well, I've gotta sort through a few things, I'll give you a call in 90 &amp; we can work out where to meet, if the streets are that rich in history I've gotta see it all, with you"

Pride took stock of the time, it was approaching 14:00, that meant they'd be there at 15:30, it was going to make things rather tricky if she didn't get to her destination soon "Don't be late sweety, the sun sets soon after, don't want to be out too late, the temperature will drop"

"I'll bring jackets with me to keep us warm" Gibbs answered, but he knew the underlying message, sunset brought darkness, and it made following her even more troublesome. He wondered if Marcus could push the engines a little faster?

Sgt Lewis looked across to Gibbs &amp; couldn't help but be confused, that was the strangest conversation she'd ever heard over the coms.. it really was!

Gibbs hung on the call at the coms station, he had to admit, this aircraft was extremely well equipped, he moved towards the cockpit &amp; passed Lt Anderson on his way.

Marcus saw Gibbs approach &amp; motioned that he could sit in the co-pilot chair, he'd normally share the flying with his LT, but not this time, this time he was manning the controls the entire way. "Sir" he greeted

"We still on schedule?" Gibbs asked

"Yes sir, should be landing by 15:30" Marcus confirmed, he saw something on the face "something wrong sir?"

Gibbs took a breath "Spoke to Pride, Patricia is still walking around trying to shake any followers, she keeps going &amp; we'll be following her after sunset, that can make things tricky"

Marcus took a breath "I'm pushing her as fast as I sir, I'll get us there as fast possible" maybe he could coax a little more out of her.

"Thank you Major" Gibbs remarked

"Excuse me sir, Agent Franks is on the comms for you" Lt Anderson remarked towards Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded &amp; made his way back out to the main area, he took stock in what he saw. Being stuck on this plane with not a lot to do wasn't easy, it was giving their minds time to think without any activities to do &amp; it was dangerous, time to stew was not something any of them needed right now. His girls hadn't moved from their seats, thankfully his angel hadn't been sick, but she was looking a little green, he put it down to the size of the aircraft &amp; the fact that they'd had a few bouts of turbulence. He hoped they could get there without her being sick. The one thing it was helping with was keeping his wife occupied, he could see she was quietly trying to keep Kelly soothed. He could see she was doing her best to block out anything other soothing her, because then it would be too overwhelming &amp; what he wouldn't do to relieve it all. He next looked across to Tony, who hadn't moved either, he too was clearly allowing the situation to consume him, things were clearly becoming too much for him too, well he could do something about this at least "DiNozzo!" he barked, maybe he could keep him occupied &amp; would be much better than allowing him to wallow in whatever thoughts he was allowing himself to be consumed by.

Gibbs saw his head shoot up "Franks is on the comms, see what he wants!" he saw the boy hesitate "now DiNozzo!" he asserted

"Yes boss" Tony replied automatically.

Gibbs sat back down next to his girl as he watched Tony move towards the coms station, at least that was one taken care of for now.

* * *

Tim was at the coms station with Fornell &amp; Myles, they were linked back up with their office, DC &amp; NASA "no further pings from his GPS?"

"Nothing else, but I've managed to get a better fix on the transmission we did get" Ashton remarked &amp; continued "east coast of the border area. In the grid area between Whitehaven, Stanhope, Falstone &amp; Dumfries. And yes, Carlisle is in the middle of that gridded area"

"What is it about this Carlisle place?" Fornell mused allowed

"Ahh.. " Abby remarked "I've found some old records, there's property in the region owned by the Fielding's, and they've owned it a really long time"

"That's a place to start at least" Tim remarked, he cast his eyes over to Kelly though she was nestled between her parents. He knew how much this was affecting her &amp; he wished he could do something, and as he thought about it he could, he could work out where Phoenix was &amp; bring him home, then he'd be ok, then she'd be ok. Well apart from dealing with the whole 'I now have a second grandfather alive' business, but one thing at a time.

"Can you get you me a layout of the property?" Myles asked, if he could see a layout he could start working out a way to get in undetected.

"Already working on it" Abby remarked

* * *

"How's the radar looking Sargent?" Marcus called

"A few commercial jets, and a Royal Air Force cargo plane in the immediate area sir" Lewis answered.

Marcus considered all his readings, he could probably coax an extra few miles if they went a little higher, it would eat up more petrol, but they had plenty in stock "Alfa Tango to Bravo Delta, Alfa Tango to Bravo Delta"

"Alfa Tango this is Bravo Delta" Owen responded.

"Climbing a further 2,000ft to an altitude of 43,000ft" Marcus said, he knew both jets could reach the altitude if they were careful.

"43? That's cutting close to our ceiling" Owen remarked

"Close to isn't the ceiling, I'm sure you're capable enough Major Owen, you're an experienced combat pilot after all" Marcus responded "starting climb, acknowledge your climb Bravo Delta" he asserted

"Following you up Alfa Tango" Owen responded briskly.

Marcus levelled his plane out &amp; saw her do the same, he did a quick calculation as to what it would mean to their flight time, it should shave a further 15 minutes off their flight time.

* * *

Kelly came out of the small bathroom, and let out a long breath she looked at her watch, they still had about 30 minutes before then were due to land. There was a small window she put her hands on the rim of it the panel as she looked out, it looked so peaceful out there, it was pure blue out there, looking out there she couldn't believe how badly things had gotten screwed up. She was about to move back to her seat when she felt arms snake around her waist. She smiled as she fell back into arms she knew only too well.

"Almost there Kells" Tim whispered, taking strong hold of her.

"I know" Kelly whispered back.

"We'll work it all out, we'll be ok, not leaving you until we do, not going home with him" Tim said soothing her as he kissed her head. He pulled her in even tighter, if he could take her hurt away he'd do it in an instant, he hated seeing her like this.

Kelly took a few deep breaths, she had faith in Tim just like her dad, it was different kind of faith, but it was faith none the less. She looked up to him "thanks" these few moments with him had helped settle her down.

"Anytime Kells" Tim smiled, he knew it was only a brief moment but it had helped centre him too.

* * *

"Franks says that according to Delilah, the Fielding's have multiple properties throughout the UK" Tony reported "numerous properties in Scotland &amp; northern England, nothing in Ireland though. She said that between her cousins and their cousins they could have over a dozen properties in that region alone boss"

"Has she said anything about where Loch bases himself out of?" Gibbs enquired

"Said his home was in Paisley, but that's up near Glasgow, about 2 hours north of Carlisle, said from what she knew he worked out of their family exporting business in Glasgow" Tony reported.

Ziva watched the pair continue to discuss what Franks had gotten from Delilah thus far, she knew what Gibbs was doing, he was keeping Tony occupied because otherwise his mind would go wandering &amp; that wouldn't be a good idea at the moment. She knew he was extremely concerned about the safety of his sister &amp; nephew, a sister &amp; nephew he'd never met, so she knew he was also extremely nervous at the prospect of seeing her.

What Ziva was more concerned about though was how much he'd retreated into himself, she'd tried speaking to him about how he was feeling &amp; coping, but he'd not talked at all. Sure he talked about the case, about how he didn't understand what was going on with the connections between Patricia, himself, Shannon &amp; this Alexander, but when it came to how he was coping, he just bottled himself up &amp; refused to speak. What was worse was that he'd used his tonsillitis as reason to stop talking, saying he was talking enough that he had to rest it when he could, that she couldn't believe! Sure he was still having to manage it &amp; he was still on his antibiotics, Commander Brine had said because he'd not been able to give his throat a proper rest he should keep taking the medicine for the next while &amp; he'd check him out when they got back to see what else needed to be done. She cast her eyes around the plane, the tension was palpable, everyone was on edge, the sooner they landed the better!

"Everyone take your seats, we're preparing the aircraft for descent!" Marcus announced to the cabin at large "Alfa Tango to Bravo Delta, Alfa Tango to Bravo Delta, prepare aircraft for descent, prepare aircraft for descent" he said into the radio.

Ziva breathed a sigh of relief, they were there! Thank the stars! Maybe they could finally work out just what was going on!? She sat down in her seat &amp; saw everyone else do likewise, she had to focus though, things could get very hectic very quickly.

"Acknowledged Alfa Tango, preparing for descent" Owen replied.

"All systems off &amp; ready for landing sir" Lewis reported.

"Alfa Tango, Bravo Delta, this is Belfast Tower, advised to de-tour to Derry airport due to a swift incoming and extremely sever high winds in the immediate area of Belfast Tower" came a message from the operator.

Marcus shared a wide-eyed look with his LT, this wasn't what they wanted at all! And pretty crap timing too! He took a breath before replying "Belfast Tower this is Alfa Tango, unable to detour to Derry, require clearance for landing" he held his breath, they had to get this clearance, detouring to Derry would add time they didn't have!

After a brief delay Belfast tower responded "Alfa Tango this is Belfast tower, clearance given for runway 3, approach from the east and at high altitude with steep landing. Repeating swift incoming and extremely severe winds are becoming prevalent, landing clearance for runway 3 from the east from high altitude with steep landing" the operator remarked.

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief "Belfast Tower this is Alfa Tango, acknowledged, landing on runway 3 from the east &amp; high altitude, will engage in steep landing" he heard Owen give her acknowledgement a moment later.

"Sir, the majority of passengers we have wont be used this type of landing" Anderson remarked, this was an usual landing and apart from the Rangers, and maybe any of the agents that had served in the military &amp; he was sure there were a few, they wouldn't be used to such a landing, it was much like landing on an aircraft carrier.

"I know, convey a similar message to Bravo Delta" Marcus conceded, it definitely wasn't a normal landing "take the controls for 2 minutes Lieutenant"

Marcus went out into the main cabin, he captured the attention of the entire cabin "Belfast Tower has just advised us of severely high winds on our approach, they're detouring the majority of planes to Derry but we're still going in."

"Is it safe to go in Marcus?" Shannon asked, if the other planes were all being diverted maybe they should too?

"Most of the other planes aren't equipped like we are, this bird can handle it" Marcus replied assuring her, his plane was placed a lot better to handle the landing than the SecNav's was, but he wasn't going to say anything about that. He just hoped Major Owen was as good a pilot as she claimed.

Marcus took a breath before speaking again "because of it though, we're going to have to make a steep landing, that means approaching from a high altitude and coming in very steep right onto the runway with a sudden break. It's much like landing on an aircraft carrier"

Tim swallowed, he always hated those landings! He looked over though to Kelly, he could see her going white at this news.

"There are additional straps that come over your chests on every seat, its in the back of the seat, it connects together &amp; then has another latch that connects with the one around your hips, it will help against the sudden thrust we have to give, my team will help everyone put them on, and then we'll go for the landing." Marcus instructed glad to see his team already moving between everyone to help get them strapped in, he took another breath "I've done plenty of these landings before, could do them in my sleep, we'll be down before everyone knows it"

Marcus moved towards the Gibbs family, he could see Kelly had gone a fair shade of greenish white at the news "I'll have us down before you know it KG, you'll be fine. Mikey would seriously hurt me if you threw up on my watch" he finished with a smile, trying to help calm her nerves.

Kelly gave him a small smile, but this wasn't sounding like it was going to be a pleasant experience for her at all! She helped her dad get her extra straps on but she wasn't really partaking. All of sudden she felt another pair of hands on her.

"I've got it Jethro, you see to Shan &amp; yourself" Ted remarked, he had been sitting behind them wanting to give them space, but upon hearing the news thought he could help by sitting next to Kelly, another person there was never a bad thing.

Gibbs nodded as he turned his attention to Shannon &amp; helped get her extra straps secure. He considered moving Kelly between them, but if that happened, he wouldn't be able to reach his wife to help her during landing. He'd dealt with of landings like this one, but they hadn't &amp; he knew it could be harsh on the body but he needed to keep them calm "done heaps of these landings Shan, piece of cake, just don't forget to breath"

"Smart arse" Shannon smirked, trying to lift the sombre mood "is Kelly secured?"

"All set Shan" Ted remarked, double checking all her straps were in place &amp; tightly fastened.

Gibbs passed him half of the sick bags, hoping they wouldn't need any of them, he gave his girl a kiss of the forehead "its ok angel, I've done this many times, just keep breathing" he finished he took hold of her hand, and made sure his arm was across her chest, just like it was across Shannon's.

"I've got her Jethro, you brace yourself &amp; Shan" Ted remarked as he placed one arm across her waist, he knew it would be hard for him not to help his girl, but he had to brace himself &amp; help Shannon and Kelly was just as much a daughter as Stacey was, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her "I've got you Kells, a few bumps &amp; we'll be down in no time"

It took Gibbs a few moments but he removed his arm from his girl, he knew Ted was right, he had to brace himself just as much as he had to help brace them "right here angel" he said quietly.

Tim looked across to Kelly, he had thought about doing the same thing, but Ted had moved before he'd even had the chance to unbuckle, he saw her give him a glance &amp; smiled the most reassuring smile he could muster.

"Alfa Tango to Bravo Delta, Alfa Tango to Bravo Delta" Marcus called

"This is Bravo Delta Alfa Tango" Owen responded

"We're going to make our descent now, wait until we've landed before you start your final descent. Recommend staying at full speed until the last possible moment, before switching to reverse thrusters at full force, this looks like it's going to get very bumpy!" Marcus remarked

"Acknowledged Alfa Tango, we'll wait for your landing before heading down &amp; thank you for the advice, we'll be undertaking that exact situation. We're all secured, looks tricky, good luck Major!" Owen responded, there was no time now for anything other than full concentration, she was about to undertake an extremely tricky landing, she'd need all the knowledge and all her experience for it.

"You too Major! We'll relay any vital information you could utilise on approach once we land, Alfa Tango out." Marcus replied, he took a breath "here we go, manual controls Lieutenant, let's ride this baby through"

"Right with you sir" Anderson responded "call it all out Lewis" this landing was going to be tricky, it would need all three them to land safely, especially with a full load of people &amp; fuel!

* * *

**A/N: Well things aren't peaceful on their way down into Belfast that's for sure! Could this impact on more than just their landing? Not that Pride is having more luck on the ground! Here's hoping it all goes smoothly. **

**We'll be meeting Patricia very soon &amp; Tony will be meeting her in the one of the next 2 chapters, still planning it out, but it will be soon!**

**Remember you can follow me on facebook &amp; Instagram for updates too!**

**Go to the Facebook url &amp; then: /More-Than-He-Dreamed-Of-verse-1672091333008701/**

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**You know I love to hear your thoughts, so review away! More up soon! **


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N: Here's a new chapter folks! To my recent followers/favourites thank you &amp; welcome to the ride that is this amazing journey! To my reviewers, thank you so much, your comments keep me inspired, and I love hearing your thoughts on how things are progressing, so keep them coming!**

**Guest Reviewers: Momcat: Thank you &amp; Happy 2017! Abby was already helping them during the scenes in MTAC before they left Naples, and i'm sure you understand my stories are never short, while I doubt this will come close to the length of MTHDO it still has a way to go... it's all mapped out in my head :)**

**Sue Dooley: Thanks! Tony's fairly pre-occupied &amp; bottling things up I think because he really doesn't want to think about a great deal of things.. he'll open up soon. **

**Ladyaloysius: Thanks! It's certainly getting exciting. Re: Facebook try putting in the complete url below or searching "More than he dreamed of" the page should come up.. **

**Now, let's see how everyone is coping with this bumpy entry into Belfast...**

* * *

Pride came to a stop, Patricia was now standing at the gates of a large estate, they were somewhere between Holywood &amp; Cultra, so the houses were quite big, but even so, this was a very large estate! The house, or more like mini-castle was set in the middle of vast gardens. Back behind the property he could see a few smaller buildings, likely stables or storerooms, and behind those there was a small number of trees along the back fence line. He wondered who lived here that would cause for Patricia to be here? He saw a pair of men approaching the gate from the house &amp; took a further step back into the building behind him to cover himself. He watched as the trio spoke for a few minutes before the men opened a side gate &amp; escorted her in rather quickly too! Who were these people?

Pride kept watch &amp; just waited for the incoming call, he hoped Gibbs would be calling soon! He shielded himself against the howling winds that had only just started as he waited for his phone to ring…

* * *

Vance swallowed as he exited the plane, he wasn't one who got motion sick or even airsick, but right now his stomach was more than just talking! He took a deep breath of fresh air trying to settle the feeling, he'd dealt with plenty of rough landings but that one, well that one was probably one of the worst!

Turning he looked back into the plane &amp; everyone was trying to regroup, given the plane was more lounge suite than military jet there had been breakable items on the plane &amp; they had broken! He saw though that Delilah Fielding though was still unwell "Agent Meoli!" he called

"yes sir?" Meoli answered coming out of the plane, thank heavens that was over, that landing, not pleasant! She'd thought they'd been a breath away from crashing!

"Go &amp; get Dr Mallard, see if he's free to come &amp; attend to Ms Fielding but Agent Meoli, if he's taking care of anyone on that bird, especially Kelly you leave him there &amp; ask someone to get him once she is ok" Vance ordered. While he wanted Ducky to look at her, he wouldn't take him away from the others, especially Kelly &amp; he would be extremely surprised if he wasn't helping her, in fact if she hadn't been ill after than landing he would be shocked!

Vance surveyed their current surroundings, both planes were now situated in one of the hangers at the far end of the airport, there were already numerous bodies out of the aircrafts, several Army Rangers were already taking up protective positioning around the aircrafts &amp; checking the building, he also saw many of the flight personnel checking the planes, he hoped there was no damage to either of them! This may not be their last destination &amp; they'd need these planes. There was one thing he could help with "Wu! Help the Rangers secure the hanger!" he ordered

"Yes sir" Wu nodded as he came off the plane taking a much-welcomed deep breath of fresh air. He stepped onto the tarmac – ahh, solid ground! That always felt good!

"You all ok Director?" Fornell asked approaching, he was glad to be on solid ground! That hadn't been a pleasant experience at all!

"A few Bumps &amp; bruises" Vance answered "Ms Fielding was the only one to become ill" he added on belatedly "how about you?..."

"Excuse me Director, but could we get Dr Mallard over here, Delilah's still under the weather" Hollis requested interrupting the pair, she was glad she had cast iron stomach! But was extremely worried about her agent.

"He's helping Kelly" Fornell remarked bluntly, as far as he was concerned that lady could wait for the help, she wasn't going to take precedence over Kelly!

"As soon as he's done helping Kelly he will check any others whom require assistance" Vance replied

Hollis could see the pair had gone defensive &amp; she definitely wasn't going to speak against Dr Mallard helping Kelly "thank you" she said simply before going back to her agent.

Fornell waited for Hollis to leave them "apart from Kelly, everyone made it through without losing their lunches, but we had numerous close calls" he'd seen many of the people around him come close to losing their lunches, him included!

"As did we" Vance commented "give Pride a call, see where he is, the embassy should have dropped some SUV's here for us by now"

"They're here sir" Agent Aymond remarked coming closer "3 SUV's with MP drivers are out the front sir"

"Good, tell them to stand by, we'll be ready to go soon" Vance ordered

"Yes sir" Aymond answered

* * *

"That should do it" Ducky smiled as he returned the syringe to his medical bag, he'd had to give her a shot to help stop the vomiting.

"Thanks Duck" Gibbs nodded as he &amp; Shannon continued to sooth their girl, he was thankful that she had stopped vomiting! If he was honest with himself, he'd come close to having his lunch make itself known. He'd rarely experienced such a turbulent landing &amp; he was ever so thankful for the extra straps they had on. Wearing a simple belt wouldn't have helped anything!

"Excuse me sir, Mrs G, I've prepared the back row, Kelly can lie down" Marcus spoke gently, he hated that she'd felt so bad she had succumbed to vomiting but it was one of the hardest landings he'd done in a very, very long! His knuckles had gone white from gripping the controls so tightly they still weren't their normal colour and they'd skidded on the runway more times than he'd care to admit!

"Thank you Marc" Shannon said quietly, her stomach was feeling queezy too, she wondered how long it would take to pass? "Come on angel, let's get you lying down" she said rubbing her back.

Kelly took a deep breath, she was glad she'd rinsed her mouth out already &amp; she was starting to feel half human again. Whilst she wanted nothing more than for her parents to stay with her she knew what had to happen. Lifting her head, she looked at her mum "you should go with dad, find…"

Shannon was torn, she wanted to stay with her girl, make sure she was ok but she also wanted to go &amp; find her son, she wanted to do it with her husband "darling.."

"You should go" Kelly repeated

"We're not going until your ok angel" Gibbs remarked, he did want to get going but he wouldn't until he was certain she was feeling ok.

"I'm ok" Kelly remarked as confidently as she could "you need to go"

"I'll stay with her" Ted remarked, he could see how hard this was for his friends "let me get a nest sorted" he said out loud before moving towards the back of the plane where they could lie her down.

Gibbs took a breath &amp; nodded, he knew they had to get going &amp; having Ted remain was probably the best way to cope with that "how's that sound angel?"

"Ok" Kelly nodded, it was a comfort to have Ted stay behind.

Shannon helped her up, she was glad Ted was staying with her "let's get you lying down darling"

Harry watched as Shannon &amp; Gibbs got Kelly to the back of the plane &amp; lying down, she was now resting against his dad. He saw that Tim had been watching the exchange from almost the other end of the plane &amp; he could see concern and maybe even something else. He moved towards the guy &amp; manoeuvred him out of the plane.

Tim had been watching Kelly, he was really concerned about her, he wanted to go up there &amp; comfort her himself, not that he was feeling perfect, his stomach was speaking to him &amp; quite loudly too, but still seeing her like that was hard. He was also feeling a little jealous, he'd never feel jealous of Gibbs nor Shannon but to see her rest with Ted when it could be himself, that was hard! He felt Harry gently push into his back &amp; motion outside, letting out a breath he went outside.

"It's not what you think" Harry remarked, but he took solace that he was on solid ground! He saw Myles was hanging around the entry too &amp; saw his ears peak up.

"What's not?" Tim asked a little confused.

"Kelly resting with my dad" Harry stated plainly.

Tim just stared at him, was he that transparent?

"Kelly sees my dad as a father figure &amp; so is probably more comfortable resting after her… spell with him than you, sometimes it's easier to do those things with a parental figure than with a boyfriend" Harry stated.

"I'd agree with that" Myles stated closing the small gap that was between the trio "Besides, KG needs to rest, and you will need to be dealing with everything"

Harry nodded "you're definitely across everything a lot more than my dad is"

Tim took what the pair said on board, they had a point but "I know but.."

"No buts McGee" Harry said interrupting him "I know you deeply care about her, I know you care about Phoenix too. To me though, Kelly's like a sister &amp; Phoenix, he's like a brother to me. I'm going to guess the pair are like siblings to you as well Myles. So how about this, I will trust the pair of you to keep working on getting him back &amp; you guys trust me &amp; my dad to take care of Kelly for the moment? Let's get through this together" while he would do everything he could to retrieve Phoenix, he knew that right now both of these men were far better placed to work on it &amp; him &amp; his dad could look after Kelly, he'd be there for his friend.

Myles took a breath "I can deal with that, we can switch it up if needed down the track. All I will state is that I want these arseholes!"

Tim looked between the pair, they did need to deal with this stuff together &amp; they were right, here &amp; now, he was best served to keep working on the situation, he'd have to relent &amp; allow Harry and his dad to look after Kelly "ok, we'll do this together, but Myles you're going to have to wait in line"

"I prefer to queue jump" Myles smirked.

* * *

Vance saw Gibbs, Shannon, Tony &amp; Ziva approach, he shared a quick look with Fornell "Everyone ok?" he asked, but looked at Gibbs pointedly, he saw Kruse, Tim, Myles, Harry, Wu &amp; Franks all approach too.

"She's resting with Ted on the plane, we heard from Pride?" Gibbs asked, he was so thankful that Ted was staying with her.

"Just spoke to him" Fornell answered "Patricia is now at her destination, she's at a large estate somewhere between Holywood &amp; Caltra, he says it should only take us about 15 minutes to get there but he's not sure who owns the place"

Tony's eyes widened "did he see anyone else?" he wondered where she was &amp; who she'd gone to see! He was also glad that she was off the streets &amp; not wandering around.

"He saw 2 men speaking with her at the gate before they let her in &amp; took her up to the house" Fornell answered.

"Do the Fieldings have property here in Belfast?" Ziva asked directing her question to Franks

"Not that the lady knew about" Franks said shaking his head "but she's rather indisposed at the moment"

"Stay on her Mike" Gibbs commented, he was sure they could get more intel from her! He saw though that Vance was going to let him work out the logistics of who went &amp; who stayed, he was very grateful for that "Kruse, stay here &amp; keep working with our guys &amp; DC on tracking whatever intel we can find, Wu, you're with us"

"Yes boss" Wu responded, he was glad he was going, he wanted these guys!

"Right boss" Kruse responded, while he really wanted to go, he knew that some of them were required to keep working the intel.

Gibbs nodded before turning "I need you &amp; your team to remain here Lieutenant" he hoped the underlying message would get through, he needed to keep bodies here to protect his girl!

Myles nodded, he wasn't going anywhere! "yes sir, my team will keep a perimeter, no one will get through" he took a breath before looking towards Shannon "she'll be fine Mrs G, won't let anything happen to KAGy"

Shannon gave him a small smile, she saw that Harry had nodded in agreement, clearly he was going to stay too "thank you boys"

"We have three SUV's out the front ready &amp; waiting" Vance remarked

"Wu, you and your team I want approaching from the opposite side, hang back &amp; keep watch on us" Gibbs instructed.

Wu nodded "yes boss"

"Silva, you &amp; Zuse go with Wu &amp; his team" Tony ordered, that way they could keep watch from at least 2 different spots &amp; provide more cover.

"yes sir" Silva agreed

Gibbs watched as everyone started heading in the various directions it left him &amp; Shannon alone with Tim, whom he now looked at seriously "Tim…" he started to say

"She'll be fine boss, won't let a single sole near her" Tim said confidently, as far as he was concerned, he would take command of security of the site, he wouldn't let a single gap appear in it!

"Thank you Tim" Shannon remarked softly, leaving Kelly here, even though they were only going down the road &amp; even though she had an army around her was difficult, but they had to do everything they could to find their boy!

"We'll be in touch" Gibbs remarked, he wanted to go check on his girl, but he knew it was probably best to let her try to sleep, they'd hopefully not be too long!

* * *

Pride wrapped his arms around his chest, this wind was crazy! He watched the property, Patricia had been in there a good 30 minutes, and so far 3 cars had arrived, something was going on inside that property! He knew Gibbs &amp; crew were due to be there soon, he'd gotten a message from Fornell about 10 minutes ago to say they were leaving the airport &amp; he considered it wasn't a moment too soon!

After a few minutes he saw a group of people a few blocks to his left approaching, they were walking fairly slowly but when he caught the eye of a young lady he'd met before when she was a mere probie, one Sharaz Silva, he knew they were here, but he didn't see Gibbs amongst them. He turned to his right &amp; that's when he saw his friend walk around the corner towards him. Gibbs was walking towards him, in front of him was the Director, behind he saw 2 people he could only assume were Tony &amp; Ziva and to his side was Fornell, but walking right in the middle of all of them was a lady that could only be Shannon. There was one man he didn't recognise though &amp; he looked to be about his age, light brown hair, and was walking between Jethro &amp; his rear agents, he wondered who this guy was?

When he'd heard about her, and everything else, he'd been hit for six, he'd been planning on making a detour to Naples at the end of his trip to Ireland to see him, but this had well.. guess he was meeting her sooner than he thought. He took a deep breath as he saw the group get closer, he smiled when they were mere feet away "nice to see you folks"

"Pride" Vance greeted, his agent was looking a little tired "jacket?" he offered

Gibbs waited until he'd put the jacket on "Dwayne" he greeted, he took a breath "my wife Shannon"

"Jethro" Pride greeted as he quickly went for a hug, coming out of it he looked to the lady still gripping Gibbs' hand "I know the circumstances are terrible, but it's a great pleasure to meet you"

"Likewise Dwayne" Shannon remarked, it was nice but her thoughts right now were split between the worry about her girl back at the airport &amp; her downright concern for what fate was befalling her boy, she was beside herself with worry!

"Since she went inside half an hour ago, 3 cars have arrived, each having at least 2 occupants" Pride began to explain "the estate looks quite large, but I can't say who owns it"

"We've got people looking into the records to find that out" Vance offered.

"Why don't we just go in?" Tony asked, he was getting a little fed up of this, his sister was inside that place! Yea it was a massive place, it looked like some kind of mini castle, but his sister was in there! "If she walked in freely…"

"You think whoever is inside is a friend rather than foe?" Fornell queried

"She knows something, she's here for a reason &amp; didn't we say that Alexander was from Ireland? Maybe she's found people that she thought could help her" Tony mused out loud.

"Alexander was born here in Belfast" Michael offered, he &amp; Jim had decided to come with them, just in case they could help, Jim was back at the airport still looking into a few things. He thought that given that Kelly wasn't here he would come in case they needed some legal muscle, but he had been doing research that might just help.

Pride saw that both Tony &amp; Shannon look at this guy, whoever he was, with a little surprise.

"We haven't found any Fielding connections here in Belfast though, except that one email alerting to her presence, maybe they are friendly" Ziva remarked

Gibbs considered it, he did want to go in, but he was nervous to go in there with his wife when he had no idea what was waiting for them.

"I think we need to go in, we wont learn anything standing out here" Shannon said quietly.

Gibbs looked at her, he could see the anguish she was feeling about everything, the apprehension she had about what could be waiting for inside, but also that she just needed to get it over with "let's go" he remarked as he herded the group.

As they started to walk towards the gate Gibbs kept a firm grasp on his wife around her waist, the group had already formed a sort perimeter around her since getting out of the SUV &amp; he noted that Pride had taken his place right next to Vance at the front of the group, he couldn't say it didn't relieve him. What he realised was that Pride was sporting a 9mm in the back of his belt, the embassy MP's must have given him it.

Tony was getting really nervous but as they crossed the street &amp; were mere meters from the gate he looked back behind him "Boss!" a half dozen vehicles had suddenly appeared not just around them, but around the 2 teams they had watching their backs, they were about to be surrounded!

Gibbs reacted instantly as he pulled Shannon as close to himself as possible, he saw that Fornell had turned &amp; was now standing with his back shielding her, just like Vance was doing. He saw that Ziva &amp; Tony were covering her as well as Michael, he really wasn't liking this development! He saw that each car had multiple men inside, with one arm around his wife he gripped his sidearm with his other hand, his finger hovering over the safety.

* * *

**A/N: Well they've made it to Belfast with limited damage, so that's a good thing but this doesn't look good! Exactly who owns this estate &amp; could these men be friends or foes? Gibbs is ready for anything or is he? Will he be able to manage what's coming? Will Shannon? Will Tony?**

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